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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mate — a partner
  3. spell — letters
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spell — magic
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. last — finally
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. cap — a lid
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cap — a hat
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. last — to go on
  22. cap — of ice
  23. vault — a safe
  24. last — final

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