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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 120 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: mine · wound · cue · fall · safe · bay · cold · cabinet

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. fall — the season
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bay — a horse colour

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