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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: face · bulb · court · chip · file · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. file — a document
  7. chip — for betting
  8. face — to confront
  9. court — of a king
  10. file — a line of people
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. file — a tool
  14. court — of law
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. chip — to eat
  17. court — for sport
  18. chip — in a computer

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