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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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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: can · bat · pass · content · mate · rash

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rash — hasty
  3. can — to be able to
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. can — a tin
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. rash — a series
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bat — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. mate — to breed
  17. content — happy
  18. bat — for baseball

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