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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. net — for catching
  3. key — for a lock
  4. net — in sport
  5. kid — child
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bear — the animal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. kid — to tease
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tear — to rip
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. perch — the fish
  15. tear — from crying
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. net — after costs
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. key — in music
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bear — 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