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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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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 · bear · chip · staff · wound · face · pitch · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. pitch — completely
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — an injury
  9. object — an aim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. staff — employees
  13. face — to confront
  14. file — a line of people
  15. chip — for betting
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. file — a document
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. file — a tool

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