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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: stick · season · fall · content · spell · roll · bat · coach

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. roll — a list
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fall — to drop
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bat — the animal
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. content — the amount
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fall — the season
  21. content — happy
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. season — in sport
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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