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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 · file · saw · cold · stick · stand · rush · pitcher

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. file — a document
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. face — to confront
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cold — not warm
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. face — to point toward
  23. saw — the tool
  24. file — a tool

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