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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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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: date · wave · content · firm · last · net · present · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. last — finally
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. date — the fruit
  8. firm — steady
  9. present — there
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. firm — decided
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. present — a gift
  20. content — happy
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. present — the time now
  23. firm — a company
  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