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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. shower — rain
  5. season — of the year
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. kid — to tease
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fall — the season
  17. cell — in biology
  18. toast — bread
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cell — a phone
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kid — child
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. toast — the most admired

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