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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: bay · cabinet · club · drill · safe · cell · row · sharp

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. club — for golf
  6. cell — a phone
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. row — a line
  12. club — a group
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. row — to paddle
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. club — for dancing
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cell — in biology
  24. drill — a practice

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