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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: foot · content · wake · last · wind · net · pop · cap

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. wake — a trail
  2. last — to go on
  3. net — after costs
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. net — in sport
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pop — music
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pop — soda
  16. net — for catching
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. last — final
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. content — happy
  21. last — finally
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cap — a hat
  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