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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: face · court · cabinet · wake · rash · mine · file · rule

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. file — a tool
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rash — hasty
  5. file — a document
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. court — for sport
  8. wake — a trail
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rule — government
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mine — for digging
  13. face — to confront
  14. rash — a series
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. court — of law
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. court — of a king
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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