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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: content · root · file · calf · rush · coach · fall · toast

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fall — to drop
  3. file — a line of people
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. file — a document
  10. root — the cause
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. toast — bread
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. rush — hurry
  15. file — a tool
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. content — the amount
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. calf — a young animal

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