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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: saw · pitch · pitcher · fan · mouse · bat · season · scale

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. season — of the year
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. season — in sport
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. scale — in music
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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