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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: degree · deal · season · last · land · scale · safe · jam

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. degree — an amount
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. scale — size or range
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. scale — in music
  9. last — to go on
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. season — of the year
  12. degree — temperature
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. degree — from a university
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. land — a country
  18. last — final
  19. land — ground
  20. deal — to handle
  21. land — to come down
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. season — in sport
  24. jam — a tight spot

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