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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 · bear · fall · cap · racket · roll · scale · rush

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fall — to drop
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fall — the season
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fall — to drop
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bear — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. roll — a list
  20. scale — in music
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bear — the animal
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. file — a tool

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