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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fine — high quality
  4. tube — the underground
  5. file — a document
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. file — a line of people
  9. foot — a measure
  10. file — a tool
  11. tube — a container
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fine — all right
  15. face — part of the head
  16. field — farmland
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. face — to point toward
  21. field — for sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. field — a subject
  24. saw — the tool

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