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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: pitch · content · racket · lean · spell · bear · wound · net

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. content — happy
  7. net — for catching
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lean — thin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. content — the amount
  12. spell — magic
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitch — completely
  15. spell — letters
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lean — to bend
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. spell — a short time

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