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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · key · rule · file · squash · march · rush · dip

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. present — a gift
  3. rule — government
  4. key — for a lock
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rule — a law
  8. dip — to sink
  9. squash — the sport
  10. present — the time now
  11. rush — hurry
  12. squash — to crush
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. file — a line of people
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. present — there
  20. key — the most important part
  21. file — a tool
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. key — in music
  24. file — a document

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