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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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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: cabinet · shower · season · bulb · court · foot · rush · land

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rush — hurry
  10. shower — rain
  11. land — a country
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bulb — for light
  16. court — for sport
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. land — to come down
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. season — in sport
  22. land — ground
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. foot — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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