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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.

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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 · net · land · trunk · squash · scale · straw · club

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. scale — size or range
  3. land — to come down
  4. scale — in music
  5. net — after costs
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. net — in sport
  8. land — ground
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. net — for catching
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pitch — completely
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. squash — the sport
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. land — a country
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. trunk — of a tree

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