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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
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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 · pitch · straw · patient · swing · ball · foot · field

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. scale — in music
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. field — a subject
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. field — farmland
  14. ball — a great time
  15. field — for sport
  16. swing — in golf
  17. scale — size or range
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ball — a dance
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. swing — music
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. swing — to play on

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