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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: mouse · land · kick · pitch · scale · race

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. race — humankind
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. race — a contest
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. scale — in music
  9. race — the arms race
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pitch — completely
  15. land — a country
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football

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