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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: face · cabinet · jam · pitcher · bulb · temple · drill · file

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. face — to confront
  4. bulb — for light
  5. drill — army training
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. file — a tool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bulb — for light
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. file — a document
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. drill — a practice
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. face — part of the head
  19. drill — the tool
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. face — to point toward
  24. jam — a tight spot

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