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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: plane · fan · scale · shower · season · sharp · racket · land

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. sharp — clever
  3. land — a country
  4. shower — rain
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. scale — size or range
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. scale — in music
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. land — to come down
  12. shower — to wash
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. land — ground
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. plane — a tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. season — in sport

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