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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 116 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: mine · firm · pop · file · pit · chip · wind · tear

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. firm — decided
  3. pop — music
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. firm — a company
  9. pit — in a race
  10. firm — steady
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. file — a document
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. file — a tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pop — soda

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