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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.

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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: rash · calf · net · cold · content · firm · lie · mug

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. firm — decided
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. mug — to rob
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mug — a face
  9. rash — hasty
  10. net — in sport
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mug — a cup
  20. firm — steady
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. firm — a company
  23. content — the amount
  24. rash — a series

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