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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: spell · scale · mate · fine · arm · bark · pitch · bear

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. scale — in music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spell — letters
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fine — all right
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. spell — magic

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