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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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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: tear · key · ground · pit · net · chip · file · fall

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. chip — for betting
  5. ground — a position
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. net — for catching
  9. pit — a hole
  10. key — in music
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. net — after costs
  13. ground — crushed
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. pit — in a race
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fall — to drop
  20. file — a line of people
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. net — in sport
  24. tear — from crying

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