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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 116 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: cell · face · pitcher · ground · file · cold · safe · cap

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cold — an illness
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cap — of ice
  7. file — a line of people
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. face — to point toward
  19. file — a tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. face — to confront
  22. ground — a position
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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