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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 116 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: file · mate · wound · chip · club · bound · rash · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. file — a tool
  6. mate — to breed
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. file — a document
  10. club — for golf
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bound — certain
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rash — a series
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rash — hasty
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. chip — in a computer

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