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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 · deal · temple · bound · swing · cold · bass · last

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. swing — music
  3. bound — obliged
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cold — not warm
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. last — to go on
  9. cold — an illness
  10. last — final
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. swing — to play on
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bass — low music
  18. deal — to handle
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. last — finally
  24. bound — certain

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