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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: staff · chip · pop · bore · track · file · deal · land

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. track — a song
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. file — a document
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pop — soda
  14. file — a tool
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. bore — to tire
  18. land — a country
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pop — music
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. chip — for betting
  24. deal — an agreement

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