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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: bat · wound · scale · prune · pop · court · pitch · safe

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitch — completely
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. court — for sport
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pop — to visit
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. prune — to trim
  12. court — of a king
  13. wound — an injury
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bat — the animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. scale — in music
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pop — music
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pop — soda
  24. court — of law

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