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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: spell · bat · bank · scale · pitcher · ruler · cap · track

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. scale — size or range
  6. track — a path
  7. bank — for money
  8. scale — in music
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bank — for money
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bank — of a river
  17. spell — magic
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cap — a hat
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. track — a song
  24. ruler — for measuring

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