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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · rush · pit · file · rule · land · patient · chip

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rush — hurry
  8. file — a tool
  9. key — in music
  10. chip — to eat
  11. key — the most important part
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. key — for a lock
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. land — ground
  16. pit — in a race
  17. land — a country
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rule — a law
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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