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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 116 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: board · scale · staff · fine · pitcher · kid · file · face

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. scale — size or range
  4. fine — high quality
  5. board — a committee
  6. staff — employees
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. kid — child
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. face — to confront
  13. board — to get on
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. fine — all right
  18. staff — employees
  19. scale — in music
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kid — to tease
  23. staff — a stick
  24. face — to point toward

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