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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: scale · field · bass · clip · pitch · face · club · cell

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. clip — a video
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pitch — completely
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cell — a phone
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bass — the fish
  18. field — for sport
  19. club — for golf
  20. field — farmland
  21. bass — low music
  22. scale — in music
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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