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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: scale · stick · sharp · roll · pitch · band · pound · mate

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. sharp — clever
  5. roll — a cake
  6. mate — a partner
  7. band — a music group
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. band — a ring
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pound — a weight
  16. roll — a list
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pitch — a sports field

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