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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · fan · foot · swing · net · cabinet · rash · perch

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. perch — the fish
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. net — in sport
  7. content — happy
  8. swing — music
  9. foot — a measure
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. swing — to play on
  13. net — for catching
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. swing — in golf
  17. net — after costs
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rash — a series
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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