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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: chip · fan · file · roll · chest · face · firm · can

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. roll — a cake
  3. can — a tin
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. roll — a list
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chip — for betting
  8. firm — decided
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. file — a line of people
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. face — to point toward
  17. can — to be able to
  18. chest — a box
  19. chip — to eat
  20. can — a tin
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. firm — steady

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