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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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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: tube · file · face · cabinet · stick · staff · pit · last

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. last — finally
  10. face — to point toward
  11. staff — employees
  12. face — to confront
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a line of people
  16. staff — employees
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. face — part of the head
  21. tube — a container
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. file — a document
  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