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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: shower · court · racket · toast · perch · season · file · board

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. shower — rain
  3. court — for sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. court — of law
  9. file — a tool
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. file — a document
  13. season — of the year
  14. shower — to wash
  15. file — a line of people
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. court — of a king
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. board — a committee
  23. perch — the fish
  24. board — to get on

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