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

Word bank: bay · mate · object · pit · wind · perch · date · file

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mate — a friend
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. object — to protest
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. file — a tool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pit — a hole
  15. file — a document
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. object — a thing
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. file — a line of people
  23. object — an aim
  24. mate — to breed

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