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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 · pit · mate · safe · straw · craft · bat · rule

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. craft — boats
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rule — government
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. rule — a law
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bat — in an idiom

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