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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: coach · pitch · fork · scale · tear · spell · board · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. key — for a lock
  5. board — to get on
  6. key — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. scale — in music
  13. spell — magic
  14. tear — from crying
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. board — a committee
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. spell — letters
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. spell — a short time
  24. scale — size or range

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