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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: chest · file · board · press · last · chip · field · sharp

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. chip — to eat
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. press — a publisher
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. field — a subject
  7. file — a line of people
  8. field — farmland
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. last — final
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. chip — for betting
  14. sharp — clever
  15. board — to get on
  16. press — newspapers
  17. last — to go on
  18. field — for sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. press — to push
  23. last — finally
  24. file — a document

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