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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · bay · degree · field · jam · ball · scale · fork

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. field — for sport
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fork — in a road
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. scale — size or range
  15. field — a subject
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. spell — magic
  19. degree — an amount
  20. field — farmland
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. spell — letters

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