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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: game · deal · sharp · coach · wind · object · ground · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. wind — moving air
  6. deal — to handle
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. object — a thing
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. object — an aim
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. object — to protest
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ground — crushed
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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