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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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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: fall · content · clip · stick · track · date · rash · face

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. track — a song
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. face — to confront
  5. fall — the season
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. track — a path
  9. clip — for paper
  10. track — to keep track
  11. clip — to cut
  12. content — happy
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rash — a series
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. content — the amount
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rash — hasty
  20. clip — a video
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fall — to drop
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rash — on the skin

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