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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.

Make a worksheet

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: roll · last · fall · pitcher · chest · degree · file · cabinet

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. file — a document
  4. chest — a box
  5. last — final
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. last — to go on
  8. fall — to drop
  9. last — finally
  10. degree — an amount
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. fall — the season
  15. file — a tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. degree — from a university
  18. roll — a list
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. roll — a cake
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chest — of your body

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