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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: mate · calf · content · wake · pass · saw · cold · firm

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mate — to breed
  6. content — the amount
  7. firm — decided
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wake — a trail
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. content — happy
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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