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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · pass · tear · chest · file · kick

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. chest — of your body
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. chest — a box
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. file — a document
  10. pass — a permit
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kick — in football
  13. tear — to rip
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. tear — from crying
  17. file — a tool
  18. chip — for betting

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