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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. season — in sport
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. shower — to wash
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. net — in sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. season — of the year
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. net — after costs
  13. wind — moving air
  14. shower — rain
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. net — for catching
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wind — moving air
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. trunk — of a tree

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