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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: net · file · cold · content · foot · rash · mark · bear

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mark — a trace
  4. rash — a series
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mark — a grade
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. file — a document
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cold — an illness
  17. file — a tool
  18. content — happy
  19. net — after costs
  20. content — the amount
  21. cold — not warm
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bear — the animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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