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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: bat · content · suit · racket · fall · scale · last · present

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. content — happy
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. present — there
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. present — the time now
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. content — the amount
  14. bat — the animal
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. last — to go on
  18. fall — to drop
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. last — final
  21. present — a gift
  22. last — finally
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bat — for baseball

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