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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: tear · foot · court · face · stem · rash · file · key

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. face — part of the head
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. court — of law
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. face — to confront
  9. court — of a king
  10. key — in music
  11. rash — a series
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. file — a document
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. key — for a lock
  17. rash — hasty
  18. face — to point toward
  19. foot — a measure
  20. file — a tool
  21. stem — to come from
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. file — a line of people

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