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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 116 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: bat · snap · key · ruler · court · trunk · bay · pass

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. key — the most important part
  6. court — of a king
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. snap — to click
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. key — in music
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. court — for sport
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. court — of law
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bat — the 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