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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: bat · scale · track · cap · stand · can · bowl · drill

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. track — to keep track
  3. scale — size or range
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. can — a tin
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. drill — a practice
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. track — a path
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. track — a song
  20. drill — army training
  21. can — a tin
  22. scale — in music
  23. bat — for baseball
  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