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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: rock · calf · scale · cabinet · bat · prune · pitch · net

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. scale — in music
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. net — in sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rock — a stone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. net — after costs
  16. scale — size or range
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rock — music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. net — for catching

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