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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: roll · perch · pop · game · bear · cell · hand · date

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. game — a match
  3. roll — a cake
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. game — wild animals
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pop — soda
  12. bear — the animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. date — the fruit
  17. roll — a list
  18. bear — the animal
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hand — help
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cell — in a prison

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