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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 120 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: present · pitch · scale · row · cabinet · bass · rush · last

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. present — there
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. row — a line
  6. present — the time now
  7. last — final
  8. bass — low music
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. last — finally
  15. row — to paddle
  16. last — to go on
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. scale — in music
  24. bass — the fish

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