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

Word bank: deal · march · cabinet · club · file · scale · last · spring

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. scale — in music
  4. march — the month
  5. file — a line of people
  6. deal — to handle
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. file — a tool
  11. club — for golf
  12. last — final
  13. file — a document
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. spring — the season
  16. march — the month
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. club — for dancing
  20. march — music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. last — to go on
  24. club — a group

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