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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 116 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: cabinet · bound · stock · face · clip · ball · track · land

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. clip — for paper
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. land — a country
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stock — shares
  9. face — to confront
  10. track — to keep track
  11. clip — a video
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. track — a song
  14. land — ground
  15. bound — tied together
  16. land — to come down
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bound — certain
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. face — part of the head
  23. clip — to cut
  24. track — a path

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