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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: pitch · squash · shower · present · scale · stock · nail · coach

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stock — shares
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. squash — to crush
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. squash — the sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — there
  15. scale — in music
  16. stock — goods
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. present — the time now

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