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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pass — a permit
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mate — a partner
  12. shower — rain
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mate — a friend
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. swing — to play on
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. shower — to wash
  20. capital — a city
  21. swing — music
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. capital — money

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