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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: chip · land · stock · fine · kick · face · bass · mate

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. kick — in football
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. land — ground
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bass — low music
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. land — to come down
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bass — the fish
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stock — goods
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fine — high quality
  18. chip — for betting
  19. stock — shares
  20. land — a country
  21. chip — to eat
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. face — to confront
  24. mate — to breed

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