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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: mouse · bat · content · present · coach · fall · net · mine

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. present — a gift
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mine — for digging
  7. present — there
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. content — happy
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. net — for catching
  18. present — the time now
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. content — the amount
  24. fall — the season

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