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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: foot · race · leaves · fork · face · rule · current · file

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rule — a law
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. current — happening now
  11. file — a document
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. face — to confront
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. race — the arms race
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fork — in a road
  18. file — a tool
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. race — a contest
  21. current — of water
  22. race — humankind
  23. current — electric
  24. leaves — lets stay

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