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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
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: rest · fine · season · shower · bat · scale · fall · hide

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. season — in sport
  3. fall — the season
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. scale — in music
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rest — a break
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. season — of the year
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. shower — rain
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bat — the animal
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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