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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: scale · pit · pitch · cell · foot · cold

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pit — in a race
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cell — a phone
  15. scale — in music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm

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