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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
468
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 · pass · rule · mate · cap · court · spell · fan

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cap — a hat
  3. court — for sport
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. court — of a king
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rule — a law
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cap — of ice
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. spell — letters
  18. mate — a friend
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. court — of law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. spell — magic
  24. rule — government

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