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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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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: file · chip · bound · content · pound · cell · fine · fall

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bound — certain
  3. cell — in biology
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pound — a weight
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. file — a document
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. fine — all right
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. fine — high quality
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pound — to hit hard

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