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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: mate · chest · bark · key · pit · fine · mouse · bat

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pit — in a race
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. mate — a partner
  9. chest — a box
  10. fine — high quality
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. key — for a lock
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fine — all right
  16. key — in music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bark — of a tree

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