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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. file — a document
  3. pitch — completely
  4. scale — size or range
  5. deal — to handle
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. shower — to wash
  10. vault — a safe
  11. scale — in music
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. shower — rain
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. leaves — lets stay

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