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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: key · wave · bay · rest · club · leaves · bat · staff

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. staff — employees
  4. club — for golf
  5. rest — what's left
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. rest — a break
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. key — in music
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. key — the most important part
  16. club — a group
  17. rest — what's left
  18. staff — employees
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bat — the animal
  24. club — for dancing

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