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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: stick · wind · file · suit · shower · face · land · rule

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. suit — clothes
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. land — to come down
  7. face — to confront
  8. file — a tool
  9. land — ground
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wind — moving air
  12. file — a document
  13. land — a country
  14. rule — a law
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. suit — in cards
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. shower — to wash
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rule — government
  22. wind — moving air
  23. shower — rain
  24. file — a line of people

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