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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: ruler · file · scale · cell · land · pitch

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cell — a phone
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. land — to come down
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. scale — size or range
  11. land — ground
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. land — a country
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. scale — in music
  18. pitch — completely

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