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

Word bank: club · leaves · fine · race · file · face

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fine — all right
  4. face — part of the head
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. race — a contest
  8. face — to point toward
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. fine — high quality
  11. race — humankind
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. club — for golf
  15. race — the arms race
  16. club — a group
  17. file — a document
  18. face — to confront

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