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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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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: last · scale · racket · fall · bat · stock · pitcher · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. scale — size or range
  4. last — finally
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bat — the animal
  12. lean — thin
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. fall — the season
  16. last — to go on
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. scale — in music
  20. last — final
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fall — to drop

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