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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: chip · pop · date · foot · saw · mate · fall · file

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. file — a tool
  5. fall — the season
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fall — to drop
  9. file — a document
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pop — to visit
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pop — soda
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. foot — a measure
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — to eat
  21. mate — to breed
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pop — music

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