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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: cold · rock · content · spell · staff · net · rest · jam

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. spell — magic
  3. rock — music
  4. content — the amount
  5. net — for catching
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rock — a stone
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. staff — employees
  13. cold — an illness
  14. spell — letters
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. net — in sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. spell — a short time
  24. content — happy

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