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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: field · plane · scale · season · sharp · firm · bowl · stock

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. season — of the year
  3. field — a subject
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. sharp — clever
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. field — for sport
  8. firm — steady
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. season — in sport
  11. scale — in music
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. field — farmland
  14. firm — decided
  15. scale — size or range
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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