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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: band · scale · pitch · spell · pop · last · jam · hand

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. spell — magic
  3. last — finally
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. hand — in cards
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. pop — soda
  14. pitch — completely
  15. band — a ring
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spell — letters
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. spell — a short time
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — in traffic

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