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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: present · bat · wind · pound · cap · mug · fork · kick

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. present — a gift
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cap — a lid
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mug — to rob
  10. present — there
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. present — the time now
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mug — a face
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pound — to hit hard

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