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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.

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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 · cell · present · bass · mug · pitch · bat · fork

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mug — a face
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. fork — in a road
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mug — a cup
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. present — there
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cell — in biology
  20. present — the time now
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mug — to rob
  23. present — a gift
  24. bat — in an idiom

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