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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: ball · last · season · fine · bat · pop · fall · bear

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fall — the season
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pop — to visit
  10. season — in sport
  11. last — final
  12. pop — soda
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. last — to go on
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pop — music
  19. fine — all right
  20. fall — to drop
  21. season — of the year
  22. bat — the animal
  23. ball — a great time
  24. last — finally

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