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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: firm · hand · object · tear · track · rush · rule · chip

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. chip — to eat
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rule — a law
  6. firm — decided
  7. track — a song
  8. object — an aim
  9. firm — steady
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tear — to rip
  14. firm — a company
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. object — to protest
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rush — hurry
  20. object — a thing
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. chip — for betting

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