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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. court — of law
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. shower — rain
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. bank — for money
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bank — for money
  17. season — in sport
  18. file — a document
  19. shower — to wash
  20. file — a tool
  21. net — for catching
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. file — a line of people

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