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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: bowl · hide · jam · bat · shower · prune · season · toast

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. season — of the year
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. season — in sport
  9. shower — rain
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. shower — to wash
  13. prune — to trim
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. toast — bread
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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