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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mate — a friend
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. current — of water
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. key — in music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mate — to breed
  13. key — the most important part
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. date — the fruit
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tube — a container
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mate — a partner
  24. key — for a lock

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