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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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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: plane · shower · temple · season · scale · swing · bat · mate

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. plane — a tool
  3. swing — in golf
  4. season — in sport
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. swing — to play on
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mate — to breed
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. swing — music
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. season — of the year
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. scale — in music
  23. shower — rain
  24. temple — side of the head

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