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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rash — a series
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hand — help
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. mate — to breed
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. key — in music
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. hand — in cards
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fall — the season
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fall — to drop

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