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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: press · shower · nail · roll · dip · file · fork · game

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. dip — to sink
  2. file — a line of people
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. game — wild animals
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fork — in a road
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. file — a tool
  13. roll — a list
  14. game — a match
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. press — a publisher
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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