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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: fork · degree · pass · safe · net · perch · jam · band

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pass — a permit
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. net — after costs
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. band — a ring
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. degree — an amount
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. net — in sport
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. perch — the fish
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fork — in a road
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. band — a music group
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. net — for catching

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