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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 · root · cap · toast · land · bound · file · snap

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. land — a country
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — bread
  5. chip — to eat
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to click
  8. bound — certain
  9. land — ground
  10. file — a tool
  11. cap — a hat
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. file — a line of people
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. cap — a lid
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. file — a document
  22. cap — of ice
  23. chip — for betting
  24. land — to come down

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