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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: key · lie · bound · face · board · clip · club · stock

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. face — to point toward
  5. club — for dancing
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lie — to recline
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stock — shares
  14. clip — a video
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — for paper
  18. club — a group
  19. bound — obliged
  20. club — for golf
  21. board — a committee
  22. bound — certain
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stock — goods

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