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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: shower · press · season · chair · foot · mug · bowl · land

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. land — ground
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mug — to rob
  8. land — a country
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. shower — rain
  14. mug — a face
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. land — to come down
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mug — a cup
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. foot — a measure

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