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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 116 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: pitch · kid · squash · bat · scale · charge

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. charge — in control
  4. bat — the animal
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pitch — completely
  7. kid — to tease
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — a price
  10. squash — to crush
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. kid — child
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. scale — in music
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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