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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: net · suit · stock · bowl · content · hand · spell · rest

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spell — magic
  4. suit — in cards
  5. net — for catching
  6. stock — goods
  7. hand — help
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spell — letters
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. suit — to fit
  16. spell — a short time
  17. net — in sport
  18. content — the amount
  19. rest — a break
  20. suit — clothes
  21. net — after costs
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. content — happy

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