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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: ground · can · roll · fine · rash · content · cabinet · file

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. roll — a cake
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. file — a tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. file — a document
  17. roll — a list
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ground — a position
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. can — a tin
  22. rash — a series
  23. can — a tin
  24. ground — the earth

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