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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: bound · cold · net · cue · track · fine · wave · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. net — in sport
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cue — a signal
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. net — after costs
  7. content — the amount
  8. fine — all right
  9. track — a song
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. track — a path
  13. bound — certain
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. cue — for pool
  16. fine — high quality
  17. cue — a hint
  18. net — for catching
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. cold — not warm

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