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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: toast · file · land · rock · chip · shower · mine · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. shower — to wash
  9. file — a tool
  10. firm — decided
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. land — ground
  13. shower — rain
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mine — for digging
  17. toast — bread
  18. land — to come down
  19. chip — to eat
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. rock — a stone
  23. file — a document
  24. land — a country

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