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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: straw · face · net · board · bowl · cue · bound · hand

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. face — to confront
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. board — a committee
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. face — to point toward
  14. board — to get on
  15. net — for catching
  16. hand — help
  17. cue — for pool
  18. net — in sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cue — a signal
  21. net — after costs
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bowl — a football final

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