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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 124 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. season — of the year
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. band — a ring
  10. present — a gift
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. season — in sport
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ball — a great time
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. perch — the fish
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ball — a dance
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cabinet — ministers

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