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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: field · mate · fork · bound · pass · content · safe · date

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. content — happy
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. mate — a friend
  9. field — farmland
  10. bound — obliged
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bound — tied together
  14. content — the amount
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mate — a partner
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fork — in a road
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. pass — a permit
  22. mate — to breed
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fork — to eat with

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