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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 116 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 · saw · bay · coach · swing · leaves · bat · pop

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bat — the animal
  4. scale — in music
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pop — soda
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pop — music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. swing — music
  24. scale — size or range

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