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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: file · chest · object · chair · cap · spring · bass · mug

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. file — a document
  3. spring — of water
  4. chest — a box
  5. object — to protest
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cap — a lid
  8. file — a line of people
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mug — a face
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mug — to rob
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mug — a cup
  17. object — a thing
  18. file — a tool
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bass — low music
  21. spring — the season
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. object — an aim

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