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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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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: file · patient · club · rule · face · cap · calf · pit

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pit — a hole
  3. face — to point toward
  4. club — for golf
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. rule — a law
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. club — a group
  16. cap — a lid
  17. face — part of the head
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pit — in a race
  23. face — to confront
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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