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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · temple · pit · deal · shower · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. file — a line of people
  3. face — part of the head
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. deal — to handle
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pit — in a race
  8. file — a tool
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. shower — rain
  18. file — a document

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