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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: season · hide · fan · shower · swing · land · safe · snap

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — to come down
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. shower — rain
  10. land — ground
  11. snap — to click
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. shower — to wash
  14. season — of the year
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. season — in sport
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. land — a country
  23. swing — in golf
  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