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

Word bank: season · last · scale · coach · suit · present · sharp · bat

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. sharp — clever
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. present — there
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. suit — in cards
  11. season — in sport
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. last — finally
  16. scale — in music
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. suit — to fit
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. last — to go on
  21. scale — size or range
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bat — the animal
  24. last — final

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