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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.

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: fall · pound · straw · pitcher · charge · content · bear · season

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. content — happy
  7. season — in sport
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. charge — in control
  10. pound — a weight
  11. content — the amount
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bear — the animal
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fall — to drop
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. charge — a price

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