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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: pass · mine · suit · calf · content · saw · mark · clip

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. content — the amount
  4. suit — to fit
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mark — a grade
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. content — happy
  12. clip — a video
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pass — a permit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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