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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. season — of the year
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ground — a position
  6. suit — in cards
  7. shower — rain
  8. bat — the animal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. ground — the earth
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. suit — clothes
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ground — crushed
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. suit — to fit
  24. season — in sport

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