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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: scale · pitch · key · squash · pop · bat · rush · mate

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. mate — a partner
  3. key — in music
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. mate — a friend
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. key — for a lock
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pop — to visit
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bat — the animal

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