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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 120 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: scale · season · coach · game · shower · mark · pit · mate

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mate — to breed
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. shower — rain
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pit — a hole
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. game — a match
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mate — a friend
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. scale — in music

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