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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: stick · ground · season · fine · snap · hand · mine · coach

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. hand — help
  15. season — of the year
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — in sport
  18. ground — a position
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. snap — to click

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