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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: content · saw · shower · racket · season · temple · plane · roll

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. shower — rain
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. plane — a tool
  6. roll — a list
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — of the year
  11. shower — to wash
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. season — in sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. roll — a cake
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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