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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: ground · deal · land · scale · plane · season · race · rock

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. ground — a position
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — a stone
  5. race — humankind
  6. season — of the year
  7. scale — in music
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. race — a contest
  12. scale — size or range
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rock — music
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. ground — crushed
  18. season — in sport
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. race — the arms race
  21. deal — to handle
  22. plane — a tool
  23. ground — the earth
  24. deal — an agreement

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