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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mine — for digging
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. present — a gift
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pass — a permit
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. root — of a word
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. root — of a plant
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. squash — to crush
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. root — the cause
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. present — there
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. present — the time now

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