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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: pop · file · dip · nail · rash · ground · cold · calf

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rash — a series
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. dip — to sink
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cold — an illness
  24. dip — a sauce

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