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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: bound · track · stock · net · face · capital · mate · march

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. net — for catching
  3. mate — to breed
  4. net — in sport
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. march — music
  7. capital — money
  8. march — the month
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stock — shares
  11. bound — certain
  12. track — a song
  13. face — to confront
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bound — tied together
  17. capital — a city
  18. track — to keep track
  19. march — the month
  20. net — after costs
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stock — goods
  23. bound — obliged
  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