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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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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chest — a box
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — steady
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fine — high quality
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. chest — of your body
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. spell — letters
  16. craft — boats
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. firm — decided
  20. fine — all right
  21. chest — of your body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. file — a tool
  24. craft — a skill

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