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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · hide · bat · file · key · bay · date · bound

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. staff — employees
  5. bound — certain
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. file — a tool
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. key — in music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. file — a line of people
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. staff — employees
  21. key — the most important part
  22. staff — a stick
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bound — obliged

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