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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: spell · season · snap · cap · cell · ground · face · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. spell — magic
  3. season — in sport
  4. cap — a hat
  5. ground — a position
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ground — crushed
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cell — a phone
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. scale — size or range
  22. season — of the year
  23. scale — in music
  24. ground — the earth

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