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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: foot · rush · face · wind · row · file · object · court

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. object — a thing
  3. rush — hurry
  4. row — to paddle
  5. face — to point toward
  6. court — of law
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. face — to confront
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wind — moving air
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. object — to protest
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. object — an aim
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. file — a tool
  19. court — for sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. court — of a king
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. face — part of the head
  24. foot — a measure

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