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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.

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
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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. root — of a word
  3. rest — a break
  4. pass — a permit
  5. cold — not warm
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bear — the animal
  10. perch — the fish
  11. squash — to crush
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. root — the cause
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bear — to put up with

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