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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: spell · chip · club · hand · file · fall · bark · pass

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spell — a short time
  6. chip — to eat
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. spell — letters
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pass — a permit
  12. club — for dancing
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. spell — magic
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. file — a tool
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fall — the season
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. file — a document

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