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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: deal · bear · mate · tear · game · racket · drill · temple

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. 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. deal — to handle
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tear — from crying
  4. drill — army training
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. drill — the tool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tear — from crying
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. drill — a practice
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bear — the animal
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mate — to breed
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. 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