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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · nail · season · chest · shower · cue

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. season — in sport
  5. shower — to wash
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. shower — rain
  12. chest — a box
  13. drill — the tool
  14. season — of the year
  15. cue — a signal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chest — of your body
  18. drill — army training

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