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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. hand — help
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. season — of the year
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. shower — rain
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. sharp — clever
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. shower — to wash

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