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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: spell · season · bass · shower · lean · hand · net · court

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. net — in sport
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. court — of a king
  5. shower — rain
  6. hand — in cards
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bass — the fish
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. net — for catching
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bass — low music
  13. spell — letters
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. spell — magic
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. net — after costs
  19. season — of the year
  20. shower — to wash
  21. season — in sport
  22. court — of law
  23. hand — help
  24. court — for sport

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