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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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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: fall · kick · present · bat · fine · pound · bear · content

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. kick — in football
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. present — the time now
  5. fine — all right
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. content — happy
  16. present — a gift
  17. content — the amount
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fall — to drop
  21. present — there
  22. fall — the season
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bear — 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