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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: ruler · bat · stick · mark · bank · roll · ground · club

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. club — for golf
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bank — for money
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bank — for money
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. club — for dancing
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. club — a group
  16. ground — the earth
  17. roll — a list
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ground — a position
  20. roll — a cake
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bank — of a river

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