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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: game · capital · fan · deal · rash · trunk · rush · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rash — hasty
  9. capital — a city
  10. rush — hurry
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rash — a series
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. game — a match
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. game — wild animals
  24. capital — money

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