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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: drill · bay · cell · file · ground · lash · fall · cue

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cell — a phone
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. fall — the season
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ground — crushed
  11. file — a tool
  12. ground — the earth
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fall — to drop
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. ground — a position
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cue — for pool
  24. fall — to drop

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