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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 120 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: fine · scale · pitch · bear · coach · wake · squash · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. scale — size or range
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wake — a trail
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fine — all right
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fine — high quality
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bear — the animal
  22. scale — in music
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pitch — completely

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