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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 116 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
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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: spell · racket · hand · scale · game · net · lean · pitcher

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. net — in sport
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hand — help
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spell — letters
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spell — a short time
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spell — magic
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. scale — in music
  19. net — after costs
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. game — a match
  22. lean — to bend
  23. net — for catching
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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