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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: perch · saw · ball · net · scale · wake · racket · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. net — for catching
  4. wake — a trail
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. scale — in music
  8. pitch — completely
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. scale — size or range
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. saw — the tool
  19. net — in sport
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. perch — the fish
  22. net — after costs
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. racket — for tennis

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