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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
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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: pass · pitch · mouse · scale · pit · last · court · stock

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pit — a hole
  3. last — final
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stock — goods
  9. court — of law
  10. stock — shares
  11. pass — a permit
  12. last — finally
  13. court — for sport
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. scale — in music
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pit — in a race
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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