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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: mark · pass · fine · mouse · last · content · roll · kid

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. last — final
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. content — the amount
  11. roll — a list
  12. last — to go on
  13. fine — all right
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. pass — a permit
  17. roll — a cake
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. content — happy
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. last — finally
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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