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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: bat · kick · pound · saw · pit · field · bear · cap

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pound — a weight
  8. field — a subject
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pit — in a race
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cap — a lid
  18. field — for sport
  19. bear — the animal
  20. field — farmland
  21. cap — of ice
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. kick — a thrill

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