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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: roll · safe · mate · rest · perch · cold · date · present

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. present — there
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rest — what's left
  5. roll — a list
  6. present — the time now
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. rest — a break
  14. present — a gift
  15. date — the fruit
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cold — an illness
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mate — to breed

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