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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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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: bat · pitch · stand · bowl · scale · row · rule · dip

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. scale — in music
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rule — government
  15. row — a line
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rule — a law
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. scale — size or range
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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