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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: deal · perch · fine · pass · date · cell · temple · snap

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. deal — to handle
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. date — the fruit
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fine — high quality
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. fine — all right

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