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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 · toast · rush · fork · season · file · staff · spell

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rush — hurry
  4. staff — employees
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. toast — bread
  7. season — of the year
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chip — to eat
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. file — a document
  16. season — in sport
  17. staff — a stick
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. chip — for betting
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. file — a tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — magic
  24. file — a line of people

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