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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: roll · scale · mug · ruler · field · club · game · bat

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. field — for sport
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. scale — size or range
  5. club — for golf
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. scale — in music
  9. mug — a face
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. field — a subject
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mug — to rob
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. field — farmland
  16. club — a group
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bat — the animal
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — a cake
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. roll — on a roll

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