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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.

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: spell · lean · fan · file · pitcher · racket · deal · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. lean — thin
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spell — magic
  11. file — a tool
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. lean — to bend
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. spell — a short time
  19. file — a document
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. file — a line of people
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. spell — letters
  24. fan — to cool the air

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