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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 120 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: cell · scale · pass · current · bowl · bat · spring · race

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. race — the arms race
  3. scale — size or range
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cell — a phone
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. current — of water
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. scale — in music
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. spring — of water
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. race — a contest
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. race — humankind
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cell — in biology

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