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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 · firm · stock · game · leaves · arm · rash · face

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. firm — a company
  7. fall — to drop
  8. face — to confront
  9. game — a match
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. rash — a series
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stock — shares
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fall — the season
  24. stock — goods

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