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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bank — of a river
  4. game — wild animals
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. net — in sport
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. net — after costs
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bank — for money
  11. net — for catching
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitch — completely
  14. dip — to sink
  15. lean — to bend
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. lean — thin
  22. game — a match
  23. saw — the tool
  24. dip — to dunk

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