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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: file · tube · bay · bound · ball · land · dip · cue

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. ball — a dance
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. land — a country
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ball — a great time
  11. file — a tool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bound — obliged
  14. land — to come down
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. land — ground
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. dip — to dunk

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