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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: track · firm · face · date · file · staff · toast · bowl

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. firm — steady
  3. face — part of the head
  4. track — to keep track
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. firm — a company
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — bread
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. date — the fruit
  11. file — a tool
  12. track — a song
  13. staff — employees
  14. file — a line of people
  15. track — a path
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. firm — decided
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. file — a document
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. staff — a stick
  24. face — to confront

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