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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.

Words on the sheet
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: march · mouse · scale · face · spring · straw · club · pitch

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. club — a group
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. march — the month
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. club — for dancing
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pitch — completely
  10. scale — in music
  11. march — music
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. march — the month
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. club — for golf
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. face — to point toward
  21. spring — the season
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. face — to confront
  24. straw — a straw man

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