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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 120 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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. shower — rain
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. season — in sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. season — of the year
  23. rash — hasty
  24. season — to add flavour

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