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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. can — a tin
  4. march — the month
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rash — hasty
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. file — a document
  10. land — ground
  11. march — music
  12. file — a tool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. land — to come down
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. chair — a leader
  19. stem — to come from
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. march — the month
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rash — a series
  24. land — a country

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