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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fine · spell · date · content · object · chest · net · wind

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. net — for catching
  7. fine — high quality
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. object — to protest
  11. wind — moving air
  12. date — the fruit
  13. object — a thing
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. content — happy
  17. wind — moving air
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. spell — letters
  21. object — an aim
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — a penalty

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