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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · perch · pass · rest · current · fan · bound · bat

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rest — a break
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. current — of water
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bound — certain
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. perch — for a bird

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