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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chip · sharp · file · stand · season · object · snap · band

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. season — in sport
  4. object — to protest
  5. band — a ring
  6. object — a thing
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. file — a line of people
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. object — an aim
  11. file — a tool
  12. snap — to click
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. sharp — clever
  15. file — a document
  16. season — of the year
  17. chip — to eat
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. band — a music group
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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