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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 120 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: foot · game · clip · staff · net · leaves · fall · bear

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. game — a match
  3. bear — the animal
  4. net — for catching
  5. fall — to drop
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. foot — a measure
  14. clip — for paper
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. net — after costs
  18. fall — the season
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. clip — a video
  21. staff — a stick
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fall — to drop

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