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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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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: staff · pass · shower · deal · clip · temple · firm · perch

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. firm — steady
  3. clip — a video
  4. shower — rain
  5. staff — a stick
  6. clip — for paper
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. staff — employees
  10. deal — to handle
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. firm — decided
  14. staff — employees
  15. clip — to cut
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. firm — a company
  24. deal — an agreement

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