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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: jam · file · coach · net · rest · chip · last · root

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. last — finally
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. file — a line of people
  8. root — of a plant
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. root — of a word
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. net — after costs
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. file — a document
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. file — a tool
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chip — to eat
  24. root — the cause

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