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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: chip · press · rush · last · bowl · file · spring · season

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spring — the season
  4. season — of the year
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. last — final
  7. spring — of water
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. file — a line of people
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. spring — a coil
  18. file — a tool
  19. press — to push
  20. season — in sport
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. last — finally
  23. file — a document
  24. season — to add flavour

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