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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · game · spring · file · stock · march · cap · bass

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bass — low music
  4. file — a document
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. game — a match
  8. file — a tool
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stock — goods
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. march — the month
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. march — music
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stock — shares
  24. bass — the instrument

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