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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: kick · bowl · cell · bulb · pitch · scale

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bulb — for light
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cell — in biology
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. scale — in music

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