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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cap — of ice
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. shower — rain
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. rash — a series
  18. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com