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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: dip · rush · land · file · safe · present · season · ground

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. ground — the earth
  3. land — a country
  4. dip — to sink
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. file — a document
  10. present — a gift
  11. file — a line of people
  12. season — of the year
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. file — a tool
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. present — there
  19. ground — crushed
  20. land — to come down
  21. present — the time now
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. ground — a position
  24. season — in sport

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