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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 · land · pitcher · object · face · rule · mug · bat

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. file — a document
  4. face — to confront
  5. land — to come down
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. file — a tool
  8. object — an aim
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. object — a thing
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. land — a country
  14. bat — the animal
  15. land — ground
  16. rule — a law
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rule — government
  20. mug — a face
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. object — to protest
  24. face — to point toward

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