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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: pitcher · scale · key · bat · mark · mate · spell · bay

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bat — the animal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mate — a partner
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. key — in music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. scale — in music
  20. spell — magic
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mark — a grade
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mark — a trace

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