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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. staff — employees
  3. season — of the year
  4. ground — a position
  5. staff — a stick
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. stock — shares
  10. ground — crushed
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ground — the earth
  13. sharp — clever
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stock — goods
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. season — in sport
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. coach — a trainer

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