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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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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: rest · hide · wind · file · pitch · cabinet · roll · spring

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rest — a break
  4. spring — the season
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. file — a tool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. roll — a list
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. file — a document
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rest — what's left
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spring — of water
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — a coil
  24. roll — a cake

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