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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 120 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 · shower · mug · foot · court · ball · prune · nail

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. shower — rain
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. court — of a king
  5. mug — to rob
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ball — a great time
  10. foot — a measure
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. court — for sport
  17. season — in sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. prune — to trim
  21. season — of the year
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ball — a dance
  24. court — of law

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