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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 · content · straw · hide · date · mark · perch · wake

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pass — a permit
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mark — a grade
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wake — a trail
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wake — before a funeral

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