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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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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: last · net · foot · game · nail · file · face · scale

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. foot — part of the body
  2. face — to point toward
  3. game — a match
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. last — to go on
  6. file — a tool
  7. last — finally
  8. file — a document
  9. scale — in music
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. game — wild animals
  13. scale — size or range
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. face — part of the head
  17. last — final
  18. face — to confront
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. net — after costs
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. foot — a measure
  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