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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. stock — shares
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mate — to breed
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bat — the animal
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stock — goods

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