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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
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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: mark · march · bore · spell · season · scale · pitcher · pop

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pop — music
  10. season — in sport
  11. spell — magic
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pop — to visit
  17. season — of the year
  18. march — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. scale — in music
  21. spell — letters
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. march — the month
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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