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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: rash · ground · foot · shower · mate · staff · coach · season

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mate — a partner
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. rash — a series
  6. staff — a stick
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rash — hasty
  10. staff — employees
  11. mate — a friend
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. shower — rain
  15. staff — employees
  16. ground — a position
  17. mate — to breed
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. ground — crushed
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ground — the earth

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