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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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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: bowl · perch · fall · hand · file · leaves · pass · deal

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. file — a line of people
  7. fall — to drop
  8. hand — help
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. file — a tool
  14. perch — the fish
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fall — to drop
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. file — a document
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. fall — the season
  24. leaves — of a tree

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