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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: drill · bear · row · cell · pitch · mouse · club · scale

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. drill — a practice
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. drill — army training
  15. cell — a phone
  16. club — a group
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. row — a line
  20. bear — the animal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. mouse — the animal
  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