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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: last · game · hide · season · stock · fall · lash · net

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. last — final
  3. season — in sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. net — for catching
  7. stock — goods
  8. net — in sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. game — a match
  11. net — after costs
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fall — the season
  14. season — of the year
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. last — finally
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. last — to go on
  23. stock — shares
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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