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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: date · bowl · perch · season · firm · cold · pass · plane

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pass — a permit
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. date — the fruit
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. firm — decided
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cold — not warm
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. firm — a company
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. firm — steady
  24. bowl — a dish

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