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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: leaves · pitch · bulb · scale · bass · court · spring · pit

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bass — low music
  3. court — of law
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bulb — for light
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pit — in a race
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. court — for sport
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. court — of a king
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. spring — of water
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pitch — a sports field

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