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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: pass · wind · dip · file · calf · chip · chest · ball

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pass — a permit
  5. chest — a box
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. file — a tool
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. file — a line of people
  15. chest — of your body
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. file — a document
  18. ball — a great time
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wind — moving air

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