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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 · rule · cap · wake · racket · season · scale · sharp

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rule — a law
  3. scale — in music
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cap — a lid
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. ground — a position
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. sharp — clever
  15. season — of the year
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wake — a trail
  21. ground — the earth
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rule — government
  24. season — in sport

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