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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: file · bowl · deal · rule · field · face

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. field — for sport
  3. face — to point toward
  4. field — farmland
  5. deal — to handle
  6. face — part of the head
  7. file — a document
  8. field — a subject
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rule — government
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. file — a line of people
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. face — to confront
  18. file — a 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