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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 120 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: stock · mug · perch · chest · net · face · pass · season

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. season — in sport
  3. face — to confront
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mug — a face
  6. season — of the year
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mug — a cup
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pass — a permit
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. net — after costs
  14. chest — a box
  15. net — for catching
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. stock — goods
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. stock — shares
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mug — to rob
  23. face — part of the head
  24. net — in sport

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