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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: bowl · mark · scale · can · hand · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. scale — size or range
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. can — to be able to
  7. field — a subject
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. field — farmland
  15. scale — in music
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — help
  18. can — a tin

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