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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: pitch · craft · hide · scale · ground · staff · game · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. cue — a signal
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. game — a match
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. staff — employees
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ground — a position
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. staff — employees
  16. ground — the earth
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — a skill
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pitch — completely
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — crushed
  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