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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
468
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: safe · chip · last · pitcher · file · shower · arm · row

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. row — a line
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. last — final
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chip — to eat
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. shower — rain
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. shower — to wash
  15. last — to go on
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. file — a tool
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. last — finally
  24. pitcher — a jug

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