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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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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 · scale · field · saw · staff · cue · branch · bat

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. scale — in music
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. field — a subject
  10. branch — a division
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. cue — for pool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. field — farmland
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bat — the animal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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