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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: rush · last · file · dip · cell · scale · season · rock

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cell — in biology
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. cell — a phone
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. season — of the year
  10. file — a line of people
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rock — a stone
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. scale — in music
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. scale — size or range
  18. dip — to sink
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. file — a document
  21. season — in sport
  22. last — finally
  23. file — a tool
  24. rock — music

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