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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: fine · cold · staff · season · stock · plane · mark · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. staff — employees
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cold — not warm
  8. season — of the year
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cold — an illness
  18. season — in sport
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fine — all right
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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