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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: drill · swing · season · rash · shower · last · fan · toast

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — rain
  3. season — of the year
  4. rash — a series
  5. swing — to play on
  6. last — finally
  7. rash — hasty
  8. drill — the tool
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. shower — to wash
  12. last — to go on
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — bread
  15. swing — in golf
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. last — final
  18. season — in sport
  19. swing — music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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