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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: mark · bay · lean · wave · mate · content · ball · date

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mark — a trace
  12. date — the fruit
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. content — happy
  15. ball — a great time
  16. lean — to bend
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lean — thin
  19. content — the amount
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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