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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: date · bay · key · vault · club · straw · mug · mouse

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mug — a face
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. club — a group
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. mug — a cup
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. key — the most important part
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. club — for golf
  18. key — in music
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mug — to rob
  21. club — for dancing
  22. vault — a safe
  23. date — the fruit
  24. key — for a lock

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