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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · club · game · kid · bound · mate · stock · perch

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mate — a partner
  3. face — part of the head
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bound — certain
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mate — to breed
  8. perch — the fish
  9. club — a group
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stock — shares
  12. club — for golf
  13. kid — child
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stock — goods
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. face — to confront
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. game — a match
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stock — a soup base

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