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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: pit · cue · band · ground · scale · perch · arm · bass

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. cue — for pool
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ground — a position
  5. cue — a signal
  6. band — a music group
  7. cue — a hint
  8. band — a ring
  9. bass — the fish
  10. ground — crushed
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ground — the earth
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bass — low music
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pit — in a race
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. perch — the fish

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