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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: mark · cue · net · content · foot · court · squash · wind

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. content — happy
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cue — for pool
  7. court — of law
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mark — a trace
  10. net — in sport
  11. content — the amount
  12. net — after costs
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. squash — to crush
  15. foot — a measure
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cue — a signal
  19. net — for catching
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. foot — the bottom

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