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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: roll · shower · rush · arm · firm · saw · file · chip

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. file — a document
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. chip — to eat
  8. roll — a cake
  9. rush — hurry
  10. shower — rain
  11. chip — for betting
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. file — a line of people
  15. saw — the tool
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. roll — a list
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — decided
  22. shower — to wash
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. file — a tool

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