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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. tube — a container
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rest — what's left
  5. firm — a company
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. firm — steady
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rest — a break
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. band — a music group
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rest — what's left
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bear — the animal
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. firm — decided
  22. mate — to breed
  23. date — the fruit
  24. band — a ring

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