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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: bulb · race · board · bat · pitcher · scale · spell · roll

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. board — a committee
  5. bat — the animal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. scale — in music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bulb — for light
  10. roll — a cake
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a list
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. bulb — for light
  21. race — humankind
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. board — to get on

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