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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: row · pass · rest · cell · kid · perch

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. row — to paddle
  7. kid — to tease
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cell — a phone
  14. kid — child
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pass — a permit
  17. row — a line
  18. pass — to spend time

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