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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: scale · pit · season · racket · row · jam · mug · hand

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. season — of the year
  5. pit — in a race
  6. season — in sport
  7. row — a line
  8. scale — in music
  9. pit — a hole
  10. hand — help
  11. mug — a face
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. row — to paddle
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. mug — to rob
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mug — a cup
  20. hand — in cards
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. season — to add flavour

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