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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: field · pitch · rest · spell · face · pop · scale · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pop — music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. face — part of the head
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spell — a short time
  8. field — farmland
  9. rest — a break
  10. club — for golf
  11. face — to confront
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. spell — letters
  15. scale — in music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. field — a subject
  18. pitch — completely
  19. club — a group
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pop — soda
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pop — to visit

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