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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cap — a lid
  3. shower — rain
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. squash — to crush
  8. net — in sport
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. hand — in cards
  12. ball — a great time
  13. season — of the year
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. object — a thing
  21. ball — a dance
  22. squash — the sport
  23. hand — help
  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