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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: mate · perch · pass · cold · jam · row · chair · safe

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. cold — an illness
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mate — to breed
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. row — a line
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mate — a friend
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pass — a permit
  20. perch — the fish
  21. row — to paddle
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. pass — to succeed

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