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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: scale · row · bat · mouse · court · clip · charge · pitch

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. charge — electricity
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. charge — a price
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. row — a line
  12. pitch — completely
  13. clip — for paper
  14. court — for sport
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. scale — size or range
  17. court — of a king
  18. charge — in control
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. scale — in music
  23. bat — the animal
  24. court — of law

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