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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 · spring · bay · pitch · roll · pit · bat · staff

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. spring — the season
  3. staff — employees
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. staff — employees
  7. spring — a coil
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pit — a hole
  14. scale — in music
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. roll — a list
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. spring — of water
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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