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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · net · wind · mug · file · fall · coach · land

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mug — a face
  7. net — for catching
  8. fall — to drop
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. file — a document
  13. wind — moving air
  14. land — to come down
  15. file — a line of people
  16. land — ground
  17. fall — the season
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mug — a cup
  20. land — a country
  21. content — happy
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mug — to rob
  24. file — a tool

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