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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: bat · leaves · lean · scale · pitcher · deal · firm · net

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. firm — steady
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. firm — a company
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. net — in sport
  17. lean — to bend
  18. net — for catching
  19. deal — to handle
  20. firm — decided
  21. lean — thin
  22. net — after costs
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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