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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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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: bound · face · root · pitcher · file · cue · last · firm

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cue — for pool
  3. root — of a word
  4. bound — tied together
  5. firm — steady
  6. face — part of the head
  7. file — a tool
  8. firm — a company
  9. last — final
  10. root — of a plant
  11. file — a document
  12. bound — obliged
  13. file — a line of people
  14. firm — decided
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — to go on
  17. cue — a hint
  18. face — to confront
  19. last — finally
  20. bound — certain
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. root — the cause
  24. face — to point toward

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