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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: field · rule · cap · file · cue · face · racket · lean

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cue — a signal
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. field — a subject
  5. file — a line of people
  6. face — to point toward
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. face — to confront
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cue — a hint
  11. lean — thin
  12. face — part of the head
  13. file — a document
  14. rule — government
  15. file — a tool
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. field — for sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. field — farmland
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cue — for pool

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