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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: mate · firm · last · stock · fall · bank · pitch · rest

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stock — goods
  3. last — final
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. firm — decided
  6. bank — of a river
  7. last — to go on
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rest — a break
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rest — what's left
  15. firm — steady
  16. stock — shares
  17. pitch — completely
  18. fall — to drop
  19. firm — a company
  20. last — finally
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fall — the season

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