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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kid — to tease
  5. chip — for betting
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chip — to eat
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bound — obliged
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. club — a group
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. file — a tool
  15. club — for golf
  16. tear — from crying
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. staff — employees
  19. kid — child
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. staff — employees
  22. bound — certain
  23. staff — a stick
  24. tear — to rip

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