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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: pop · pitch · rest · bound · march · scale · straw · roll

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. rest — a break
  4. roll — a list
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. scale — in music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. march — the month
  10. bound — certain
  11. march — the month
  12. pop — soda
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. march — music
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bound — obliged
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bound — tied together
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. roll — a cake
  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