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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: bear · file · cell · nail · season · rush · game · dip

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. game — a match
  11. season — of the year
  12. file — a document
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. season — in sport
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bear — the animal
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cell — a phone
  22. file — a tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. file — a line of people

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