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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · lash · track · bear · date · band · present · scale

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. present — a gift
  3. band — a ring
  4. scale — in music
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. band — a music group
  10. present — there
  11. date — the fruit
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitch — completely
  14. scale — size or range
  15. present — the time now
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bear — the animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. track — a path

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