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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: pitch · squash · shower · bore · key · scale · kid · deal

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bore — to drill
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. key — the most important part
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. key — for a lock
  9. scale — in music
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. squash — the sport
  13. scale — size or range
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. key — in music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. kid — child
  19. bore — to tire
  20. deal — to handle
  21. shower — to wash
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. shower — rain

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