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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. row — a line
  3. file — a tool
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cold — not warm
  11. face — to point toward
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. row — to paddle
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. scale — size or range
  20. face — to confront
  21. scale — in music
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cold — an illness
  24. temple — a place of worship

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