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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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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: cap · race · scale · board · tear · bat

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. board — to get on
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bat — the animal
  11. race — a contest
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cap — a hat
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. race — humankind

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