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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · face · board · ball · ruler · chip · field · scale

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. chip — to eat
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. scale — in music
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. board — to get on
  8. chip — for betting
  9. field — a subject
  10. file — a line of people
  11. board — a committee
  12. face — part of the head
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. face — to confront
  15. scale — size or range
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. file — a document
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. face — to point toward
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. ball — a round shape
  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