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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: roll · squash · racket · cell · jam · file · band · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. band — a music group
  6. squash — the sport
  7. roll — a list
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cell — in biology
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. band — a ring
  15. file — a line of people
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. roll — a cake
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. cell — a phone
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. roll — on a roll

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