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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.

Make a worksheet

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: deal · season · straw · date · scale · net · race · trunk

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. race — a contest
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. scale — size or range
  5. date — the fruit
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. net — in sport
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. season — in sport
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. scale — in music
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. net — for catching
  16. race — humankind
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. deal — to handle
  23. net — after costs
  24. race — the arms race

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