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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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Word bank
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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: shower · kick · perch · mark · ball · pass · mate · squash

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. shower — to wash
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mate — a friend
  7. kick — in football
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pass — a permit
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. squash — the sport
  12. shower — rain
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mate — to breed
  16. ball — a great time
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mate — a partner
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mark — a grade
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. perch — for a bird

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