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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: racket · scale · land · drill · row · date · pitch · key

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. scale — size or range
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. land — to come down
  5. drill — army training
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. date — the fruit
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pitch — completely
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. key — in music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. row — to paddle
  24. scale — in music

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