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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. file — a tool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chip — to eat
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. tear — to rip
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. chip — for betting
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. key — the most important part
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mine — for digging
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. racket — for tennis

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