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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: season · rush · lash · net · roll · vault · last · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. last — to go on
  4. shower — rain
  5. season — of the year
  6. last — finally
  7. net — after costs
  8. last — final
  9. net — for catching
  10. rush — hurry
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — a list
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. vault — a safe
  16. season — in sport
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. shower — to wash
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. net — in sport
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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