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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · pitch · game · wake · scale · bat · pop · cell

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pop — music
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitch — completely
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. root — the cause
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pop — soda
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. scale — in music
  24. root — of a plant

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