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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: coach · cell · scale · row · stick · bay · pitch · fork

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. row — a line
  6. scale — in music
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cell — in biology
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cell — a phone
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. scale — size or range
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. fork — to eat with

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