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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: deal · pitch · craft · pitcher · court · bass · scale · plane

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. court — of a king
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. court — for sport
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bass — low music
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pitch — completely
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. scale — in music
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. court — of law
  24. bass — the fish

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