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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: toast · band · pitch · plane · pitcher · scale · game · swing

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. swing — in golf
  3. game — a match
  4. band — a ring
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. scale — size or range
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. swing — music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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