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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: staff · plane · bowl · season · racket · last · shower · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. staff — employees
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. last — to go on
  7. season — in sport
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. shower — rain
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. season — of the year
  14. staff — employees
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. last — final
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. staff — a stick
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. last — finally
  24. bowl — to roll

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