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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: file · chip · snap · squash · face · spell · land · track

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. land — ground
  4. face — part of the head
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. chip — for betting
  8. file — a line of people
  9. track — to keep track
  10. land — a country
  11. spell — a short time
  12. face — to point toward
  13. spell — letters
  14. chip — to eat
  15. track — a song
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. face — to confront
  19. land — to come down
  20. squash — to crush
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. track — a path
  24. spell — magic

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