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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: fine · straw · mate · date · bound · game · face · ground

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. ground — a position
  3. mate — to breed
  4. game — wild animals
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fine — all right
  9. face — to confront
  10. game — a match
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mate — a friend
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bound — certain
  15. date — the fruit
  16. fine — high quality
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bound — obliged
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mate — a partner
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ground — crushed
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bound — tied together

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