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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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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: last · cell · file · root · pound · rest · content · chip

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. file — a line of people
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. chip — to eat
  5. last — final
  6. file — a tool
  7. content — the amount
  8. cell — a phone
  9. root — the cause
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cell — in biology
  13. file — a document
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. root — of a word
  20. pound — a weight
  21. content — happy
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rest — what's left
  24. root — of a plant

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