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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: court · tear · net · bay · mate · tube · kid · nail

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tear — from crying
  5. net — for catching
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. kid — to tease
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. court — of a king
  17. kid — child
  18. court — of law
  19. net — in sport
  20. mate — to breed
  21. court — for sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. tube — a container
  24. tear — from crying

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