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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: temple · key · mate · game · bay · ball · present · tear

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. game — wild animals
  3. key — for a lock
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mate — a friend
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mate — a partner
  8. present — there
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. tear — to rip
  12. key — in music
  13. mate — to breed
  14. ball — a dance
  15. game — a match
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. tear — from crying
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. present — a gift
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. present — the time now
  24. ball — a round shape

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