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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 · face · calf · coach · cabinet · chest · stand · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. game — a match
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. stock — goods
  7. chest — a box
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. face — to confront
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stand — to bear
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stock — shares
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chest — of your body

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