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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: mate · club · bat · face · bay · craft · pit · content

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. club — for golf
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pit — in a race
  13. face — to confront
  14. bat — the animal
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. content — the amount
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. club — for dancing
  19. content — happy
  20. club — a group
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. craft — boats
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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