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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: bark · board · rush · saw · file · field · face · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — for pool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. field — for sport
  5. file — a line of people
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. face — part of the head
  8. field — a subject
  9. cue — a signal
  10. board — to get on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a tool
  13. bark — to shout
  14. face — to confront
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. file — a document
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. field — farmland
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rush — to hurry

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