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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: season · chair · shower · land · snap · can · stick · ball

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. shower — to wash
  3. snap — to click
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. land — to come down
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. season — in sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. can — a tin
  17. shower — rain
  18. land — a country
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. can — a tin
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. can — to be able to

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