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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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Word bank
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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: bat · file · pit · rock · bay · date · calf · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. file — a tool
  3. rock — music
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bat — the animal
  9. date — the fruit
  10. game — a match
  11. pit — a hole
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pit — in a race
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. file — a document
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. calf — a young animal

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