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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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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 · lash · file · rush · court · scale · leaves · last

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. last — to go on
  4. scale — in music
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. face — to point toward
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. court — for sport
  13. last — final
  14. rush — hurry
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. court — of law
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. court — of a king
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. last — finally
  24. file — a document

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