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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: lie · bay · drill · bass · file · content · spell · fall

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bass — the fish
  6. drill — a practice
  7. lie — to recline
  8. drill — army training
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. content — the amount
  12. file — a tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. bass — low music
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. fall — the season
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. drill — the tool
  22. content — happy
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spell — magic

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