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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: face · kid · club · swing · land · bound · suit · mug

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. suit — to fit
  3. mug — a cup
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mug — to rob
  6. kid — child
  7. bound — certain
  8. face — to confront
  9. kid — to tease
  10. club — a group
  11. suit — clothes
  12. land — to come down
  13. bound — obliged
  14. swing — music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mug — a face
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. club — for dancing
  21. suit — in cards
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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