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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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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: stick · lash · file · saw · chest · foot · wound · chip

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. chest — a box
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. foot — a measure
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wound — an injury
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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