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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 120 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: face · chest · clip · pit · foot · file · staff · stem

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. file — a line of people
  3. chest — of your body
  4. staff — a stick
  5. face — to confront
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. chest — a box
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. stem — to come from
  13. file — a tool
  14. pit — in a race
  15. staff — employees
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. staff — employees
  18. pit — a hole
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chest — of your body
  21. clip — to cut
  22. foot — a measure
  23. file — a document
  24. face — part of the head

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