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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.

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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: firm · scale · sharp · ground · bear · stock · season · land

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. season — in sport
  5. stock — goods
  6. land — to come down
  7. firm — decided
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. firm — a company
  11. ground — a position
  12. land — a country
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bear — the animal
  16. land — ground
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stock — shares
  19. scale — size or range
  20. firm — steady
  21. season — of the year
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. ground — the earth

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