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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: saw · pitch · kick · rule · scale · mate · fine · march

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. fine — all right
  4. mate — a friend
  5. march — the month
  6. fine — high quality
  7. scale — size or range
  8. march — music
  9. scale — in music
  10. march — the month
  11. pitch — completely
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rule — government
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. kick — in football
  18. mate — a partner
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. scale — for weighing

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