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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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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 · wake · face · racket · rule · chip · trunk · cell

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cell — in biology
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rule — a law
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. file — a line of people
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chip — to eat
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wake — a trail
  18. face — to confront
  19. file — a document
  20. rule — government
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. file — a tool
  24. face — part of the head

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