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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
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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: snap · land · ground · bay · fine · leaves · scale · last

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. scale — in music
  3. last — finally
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. ground — the earth
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fine — all right
  17. last — final
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. last — to go on
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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