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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · content · rush · net · coach · land · last · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. net — after costs
  3. land — to come down
  4. content — the amount
  5. rush — hurry
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. last — finally
  10. suit — to fit
  11. cold — not warm
  12. land — ground
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — a country
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. last — final
  19. suit — in cards
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. content — happy
  22. cold — an illness
  23. last — to go on
  24. net — for catching

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