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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: cell · toast · mark · pass · date · last · wake · content

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. cell — in biology
  3. content — happy
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. last — final
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. toast — bread
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. last — finally
  14. pass — a permit
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mark — a grade
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cell — a phone
  23. content — the amount
  24. last — to go on

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