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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 120 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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. racket — for tennis
  4. bass — the fish
  5. scale — in music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. scale — size or range
  8. spring — a coil
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. file — a tool
  11. spring — of water
  12. pop — soda
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bass — low music
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pop — 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