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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 · lean · stock · chip · club · fall · can · kick

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lean — thin
  3. fall — the season
  4. lean — to bend
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. can — a tin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. chip — to eat
  11. club — a group
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. mate — to breed
  17. club — for golf
  18. can — a tin
  19. mate — a friend
  20. kick — in football
  21. stock — goods
  22. chip — for betting
  23. can — to be able to
  24. club — for dancing

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