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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: hand · scale · nail · ball · spell · bat · chip · bass

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. chip — to eat
  4. ball — a dance
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chip — for betting
  8. scale — in music
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bass — the fish
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. scale — size or range
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ball — a great time
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bass — low music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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