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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: roll · rush · toast · shower · plane · file · swing · mate

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. roll — a list
  4. file — a tool
  5. swing — in golf
  6. toast — bread
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. file — a document
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rush — hurry
  13. roll — a cake
  14. swing — music
  15. mate — a partner
  16. plane — a tool
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mate — to breed
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mate — a friend
  23. shower — rain
  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