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

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. scale — size or range
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mate — a partner
  10. file — a document
  11. pit — in a race
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mate — to breed
  14. scale — in music
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. key — in music
  17. file — a tool
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fine — all right
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pit — a hole
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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