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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: deal · wind · rash · chip · rush · content · present · file

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. content — happy
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. file — a line of people
  6. chip — for betting
  7. rush — hurry
  8. content — the amount
  9. present — a gift
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rash — a series
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. present — the time now
  14. chip — to eat
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wind — moving air
  18. file — a document
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. present — there
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — to handle
  24. file — a tool

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