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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · rush · pit · swing · kid · scale · shower · ball

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pit — in a race
  5. scale — in music
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. swing — to play on
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pit — a hole
  12. shower — to wash
  13. swing — music
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. kid — child
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ball — a great time
  21. kid — to tease
  22. shower — rain
  23. scale — size or range
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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