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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 · current · bat · pitch · rash · key · saw · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. current — of water
  5. pitch — completely
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bat — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rash — hasty
  15. scale — size or range
  16. current — electric
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. key — in music
  19. club — for golf
  20. current — happening now
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. club — a group
  23. scale — in music
  24. rash — a series

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