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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. stem — to come from
  5. file — a document
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. current — of water
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. file — a line of people
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. file — a tool
  18. face — to point toward

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