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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 116 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: firm · ball · hand · racket · spring · game · lean · field

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. firm — a company
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. hand — help
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ball — a great time
  10. spring — of water
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ball — a dance
  13. game — wild animals
  14. field — a subject
  15. firm — decided
  16. lean — thin
  17. firm — steady
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. spring — the season
  21. game — a match
  22. spring — a coil
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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