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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: chip · ball · fall · face · file · tear · board · jam

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fall — the season
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fall — to drop
  7. board — to get on
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ball — a dance
  10. face — to point toward
  11. file — a document
  12. board — a committee
  13. chip — to eat
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fall — to drop
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. face — to confront
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. file — a tool
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. ball — a great time
  24. face — part of the head

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