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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. season — in sport
  3. scale — in music
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. chip — for betting
  10. degree — an amount
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ground — crushed
  14. season — of the year
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chip — to eat
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. racket — for tennis

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