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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. game — a match
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. game — wild animals
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bat — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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