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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 120 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: nail · scale · land · mate · season · hand · bat · staff

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. land — a country
  4. staff — employees
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. land — to come down
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mate — a friend
  12. season — in sport
  13. hand — in cards
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. staff — a stick
  16. hand — help
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. season — of the year
  19. land — ground
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mate — a partner
  24. staff — employees

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