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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: lash · pass · content · saw · cold · track · mate · roll

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. content — happy
  5. track — to keep track
  6. content — the amount
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. roll — a list
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mate — a friend
  15. roll — a cake
  16. cold — an illness
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cold — not warm
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pass — a permit

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