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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: safe · wake · content · dip · pop · chest · root · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pop — music
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chest — of your body
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wake — a trail
  12. content — happy
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. dip — to sink
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pop — soda
  17. root — the cause
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chest — a box
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. content — the amount

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