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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: firm · jam · chip · chest · rest · file · track · bowl

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. firm — steady
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. chip — to eat
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. file — a document
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. track — a song
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. rest — what's left
  14. track — to keep track
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. firm — a company
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. file — a line of people
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. firm — decided
  22. rest — a break
  23. track — a path
  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