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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: branch · race · fine · kick · net · cue · content · mark

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. content — the amount
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. net — for catching
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fine — high quality
  8. content — happy
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cue — for pool
  11. net — in sport
  12. branch — a division
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. race — humankind
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. kick — in football
  20. fine — all right
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cue — a hint
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. race — a contest

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