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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · ball · last · ground · spring · chip · season · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. last — final
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. scale — size or range
  6. chip — to eat
  7. ground — a position
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. season — of the year
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — the season
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. ground — crushed
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. ball — a dance

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