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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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468
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: season · scale · bowl · arm · pitch · prune · track · snap

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. track — to keep track
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. prune — to trim
  10. season — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. scale — in music
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. track — a path
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. snap — to click
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. season — of the year

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