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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: firm · bay · mate · racket · rock · pit · band · bat

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pit — a hole
  4. firm — steady
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. firm — a company
  15. rock — music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. firm — decided
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. band — a ring
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. band — a music group

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