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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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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: dip · ground · kick · file · content · squash · cell · rush

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. ground — a position
  10. file — a document
  11. kick — in football
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. ground — the earth
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. ground — crushed
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rush — hurry
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cell — a phone
  22. file — a tool
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cell — in biology

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