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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 · clip · face · hide · fall · mate · club · net

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mate — to breed
  3. net — in sport
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fall — to drop
  6. clip — to cut
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. club — for dancing
  10. clip — a video
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. stock — goods
  13. net — for catching
  14. mate — a partner
  15. clip — for paper
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. stock — shares
  20. mate — a friend
  21. club — for golf
  22. net — after costs
  23. fall — the season
  24. club — a group

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