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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 · present · track · perch · mark · kid · kick · fall

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. track — a song
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fall — the season
  10. track — to keep track
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. present — a gift
  18. bat — the animal
  19. track — a path
  20. mark — a trace
  21. kid — child
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kick — with a leg

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