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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: spell · shower · cabinet · content · land · vault · straw · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. land — to come down
  8. file — a tool
  9. land — ground
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spell — letters
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. content — the amount
  16. file — a line of people
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. vault — a safe
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. land — a country
  23. shower — rain
  24. content — happy

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