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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: net · can · ground · pitcher · hand · scale · mate · deal

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mate — a partner
  3. net — after costs
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. can — a tin
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ground — a position
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. deal — to handle
  13. scale — in music
  14. ground — crushed
  15. can — to be able to
  16. net — for catching
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. ground — the earth
  20. net — in sport
  21. mate — a friend
  22. hand — help
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. can — a tin

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