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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: file · kid · pitcher · face · swing · leaves · temple · cue

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. face — to point toward
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cue — a hint
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. face — to confront
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. kid — child
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pitcher — a jug

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