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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: bat · mouse · stick · pitch · roll · mug · fall · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitch — completely
  12. present — a gift
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. present — the time now
  15. mug — a face
  16. roll — a list
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mug — a cup
  21. fall — the season
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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