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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: stock · capital · game · press · ball · fall · can · hide

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. press — newspapers
  5. can — to be able to
  6. game — wild animals
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. can — a tin
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. capital — a city
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stock — goods
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — to push
  18. can — a tin
  19. capital — money
  20. ball — a dance
  21. game — a match
  22. fall — the season
  23. press — a publisher
  24. stock — shares

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