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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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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: bank · wound · pound · snap · calf · pitch · scale · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. scale — in music
  6. snap — to click
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. scale — size or range
  11. key — the most important part
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pound — a weight
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wound — an injury
  17. key — in music
  18. bank — for money
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitch — completely
  24. scale — for weighing

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