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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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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: roll · bay · file · bear · game · face · pit · cap

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. game — wild animals
  3. file — a document
  4. bear — the animal
  5. face — to confront
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. game — a match
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pit — a hole
  19. cap — of ice
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. file — a tool

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