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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.

Make a worksheet

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: hand · shower · stock · press · ball · temple · season · plane

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. plane — a tool
  3. ball — a dance
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. press — to push
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. press — a publisher
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. shower — to wash
  11. hand — in cards
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stock — shares
  15. season — of the year
  16. hand — help
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. season — in sport
  19. stock — goods
  20. shower — rain
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. ball — a great time
  24. plane — an aircraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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