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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: mouse · club · cue · drill · land · bay · bound · file

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bound — certain
  4. land — to come down
  5. drill — army training
  6. land — a country
  7. club — for golf
  8. cue — a signal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. cue — for pool
  14. file — a document
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. land — ground
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. club — a group
  20. bound — obliged
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. file — a tool
  24. mouse — the animal

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