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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: rush · cue · can · bay · cold · fall · bore · cell

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rush — hurry
  3. can — a tin
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cue — for pool
  8. fall — the season
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. can — a tin
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bore — to drill
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cue — a hint
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rush — to hurry
  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