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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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Word bank
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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: wound · roll · pass · saw · date · chip · nail · file

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. file — a line of people
  12. saw — the tool
  13. roll — a cake
  14. file — a tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. date — the fruit
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. roll — a list
  21. file — a document
  22. saw — the tool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wound — an injury

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