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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: game · net · bat · fall · pitcher · mouse · deal · foot

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. game — wild animals
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — after costs
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. deal — to handle
  14. net — in sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. net — for catching
  17. fall — the season
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. fall — to drop
  22. game — a match
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bat — the animal

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