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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 · key · clip · can · game · pitch · nail · chest

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. can — a tin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. key — in music
  7. game — a match
  8. pitch — completely
  9. chest — a box
  10. scale — size or range
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. chest — of your body
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. key — for a lock
  17. clip — for paper
  18. scale — in music
  19. clip — to cut
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. key — the most important part
  22. can — a tin
  23. clip — a video
  24. nail — for a hammer

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