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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 116 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 · rash · fall · hide · chip · safe · file · mouse

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — to drop
  6. file — a document
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. chip — for betting
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. tear — to rip
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. file — a tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fall — the season
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chip — to eat

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