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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 120 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: game · file · cabinet · leaves · fan · chip · firm · bark

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. file — a document
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a line of people
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. chip — to eat
  17. file — a tool
  18. game — a match
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. game — wild animals
  21. firm — steady
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bark — of a tree
  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