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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: current · season · scale · land · hand · last · nail · pitcher

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. last — final
  4. season — in sport
  5. current — of water
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. land — ground
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. current — happening now
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. current — electric
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. last — to go on
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — finally
  20. season — of the year
  21. land — to come down
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. land — a country
  24. nail — on a finger

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