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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · stick · chest · scale · row · season · object · bass

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bass — the fish
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. object — a thing
  9. season — in sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. object — an aim
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. object — to protest
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bass — low music
  17. chest — a box
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chest — of your body
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. season — to add flavour

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