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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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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: bass · pitch · scale · fan · track · cap · mouse · sharp

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bass — low music
  4. scale — in music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cap — a lid
  17. track — a path
  18. track — a song
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bass — the fish
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. scale — size or range

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