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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: content · court · firm · cell · wake · net · suit · lash

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. content — the amount
  3. court — for sport
  4. firm — decided
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. suit — clothes
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. firm — steady
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. court — of a king
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wake — a trail
  13. net — for catching
  14. court — of law
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. net — in sport
  17. content — happy
  18. net — after costs
  19. suit — to fit
  20. firm — a company
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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