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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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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. track — a song
  3. rest — what's left
  4. file — a tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. track — to keep track
  8. face — to confront
  9. pitch — completely
  10. track — a path
  11. face — to point toward
  12. file — a line of people
  13. scale — size or range
  14. tube — a container
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. file — a document
  19. rest — what's left
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rest — a break
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mine — an explosive

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