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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: perch · pass · snap · deal · bulb · temple · board · cold

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. snap — to click
  5. deal — to handle
  6. board — to get on
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cold — not warm
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pass — a permit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bulb — for light
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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