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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 · tube · spell · deal · season · mate · file · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tube — the underground
  3. spell — a short time
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. file — a tool
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. net — after costs
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spell — letters
  13. file — a line of people
  14. season — of the year
  15. file — a document
  16. season — in sport
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. deal — to handle
  19. spell — magic
  20. net — for catching
  21. mate — a friend
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. tube — a container

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