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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 · key · mate · tear · spell · staff · stick · firm

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. key — for a lock
  3. staff — a stick
  4. tear — to rip
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — steady
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mate — a friend
  10. staff — employees
  11. chest — a box
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. firm — a company
  17. key — in music
  18. spell — magic
  19. tear — from crying
  20. staff — employees
  21. key — the most important part
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. chest — of your body

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