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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
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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: ball · jam · date · game · scale · bass · spell · land

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. spell — letters
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ball — a great time
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bass — the fish
  8. land — a country
  9. scale — in music
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. game — wild animals
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. spell — magic
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. ball — a dance
  21. land — to come down
  22. spell — a short time
  23. land — ground
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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