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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: cap · rule · face · kick · branch · field · file · roll

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. file — a line of people
  3. field — for sport
  4. file — a document
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. roll — a cake
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. field — a subject
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cap — a lid
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. cap — of ice
  17. face — to confront
  18. branch — a division
  19. rule — a law
  20. field — farmland
  21. file — a tool
  22. roll — a list
  23. rule — government
  24. branch — of a bank

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