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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · bowl · cap · march · scale · bound · nail · ruler

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bat — the animal
  7. march — music
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cap — of ice
  12. scale — in music
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bound — certain
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — tied together
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cap — a lid
  24. march — the month

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