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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: scale · pitch · stock · calf · game · mouse · season · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stock — shares
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. stock — goods
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. scale — in music
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pitch — completely
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. game — a match
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. game — wild animals
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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