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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 120 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: perch · last · suit · pitcher · content · mate · temple · root

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. root — of a word
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. perch — the fish
  5. root — of a plant
  6. mate — a friend
  7. root — the cause
  8. mate — a partner
  9. content — the amount
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — to go on
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — to breed
  14. suit — in cards
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. suit — to fit
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. last — final
  22. content — happy
  23. suit — clothes
  24. temple — a place of worship

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