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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 · bowl · deal · mate · tear · chest

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. chest — a box
  3. mate — a partner
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — a friend
  9. tear — to rip
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. mate — to breed
  15. key — for a lock
  16. deal — to handle
  17. tear — from crying
  18. deal — an agreement

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