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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: dip · file · pitcher · scale · hand · track · bat · cap

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. track — to keep track
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. track — a song
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. scale — size or range
  9. file — a tool
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hand — in cards
  12. track — a path
  13. file — a document
  14. scale — in music
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. file — a line of people
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. hand — help
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cap — a lid
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cap — a hat

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