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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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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: pitcher · face · march · fork · file · cell · fall · nail

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. march — the month
  3. file — a line of people
  4. march — the month
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cell — in biology
  17. file — a document
  18. fall — the season
  19. fork — in a road
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. file — a tool
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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