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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 116 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: wound · pitcher · pass · scale · pitch · leaves · dip · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — an injury
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wound — an injury
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. scale — in music
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pitch — completely

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