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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 120 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: hand · lash · file · pass · lie · chip · tear · cap

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. tear — to rip
  4. hand — help
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. file — a tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. file — a document
  12. lie — to recline
  13. chip — for betting
  14. hand — in cards
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pass — a permit
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chip — to eat
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cap — a lid
  21. file — a line of people
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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