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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: spell · straw · temple · land · season · pit · saw · scale

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pit — in a race
  3. season — of the year
  4. land — a country
  5. season — in sport
  6. pit — a hole
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. saw — the tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. scale — in music
  23. land — ground
  24. spell — magic

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