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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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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 · cue · bay · cell · shower · chest

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. chest — of your body
  5. shower — rain
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cue — a hint
  9. file — a tool
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. chest — a box
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cue — a signal
  14. file — a document
  15. cell — in biology
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone

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