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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: court · rock · cap · lash · foot · shower · season · wound

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. shower — rain
  6. foot — a measure
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cap — a lid
  11. shower — to wash
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rock — music
  14. court — of law
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cap — a hat
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. season — of the year
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cap — of ice
  22. season — in sport
  23. rock — a stone
  24. foot — part of the body

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