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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: chest · pass · drill · bear · leaves · deal · object · mate

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mate — a friend
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pass — a permit
  8. object — to protest
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. object — an aim
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. object — a thing
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mate — a partner
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. chest — a box
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. drill — army training
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mate — to breed
  23. drill — a practice
  24. leaves — of a tree

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