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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 116 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: bowl · spell · cabinet · rush · bat · snap · ruler · pitcher

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. snap — to click
  24. bat — in an idiom

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