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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: safe · content · mark · date · swing · spell · bay · rest

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. swing — music
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. spell — magic
  7. content — happy
  8. rest — what's left
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rest — a break
  11. mark — a grade
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. content — the amount
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rest — what's left

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