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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: snap · land · bat · temple · fan · ground · scale · spell

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. spell — a short time
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ground — crushed
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. land — a country
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. spell — magic
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. land — to come down
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. spell — letters
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. snap — to click
  24. land — ground

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