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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 116 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: mark · cold · bear · rash · perch · ruler · face · pass

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. face — to confront
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. face — part of the head
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bear — the animal
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pass — a permit

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