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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: shower · mug · chair · season · bowl · wave · face · cabinet

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. face — to confront
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mug — a cup
  10. season — in sport
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. season — of the year
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. chair — a leader
  19. face — part of the head
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mug — a face
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. shower — rain
  24. mug — to rob

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