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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: bat · deal · scale · season · jam · lie · spell · hand

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. spell — magic
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. hand — in cards
  7. scale — in music
  8. spell — letters
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hand — help
  13. lie — to recline
  14. deal — to handle
  15. season — in sport
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bat — the animal
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. season — of the year

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