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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: suit · content · net · rash · roll · spell · present · swing

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. content — happy
  3. roll — a cake
  4. present — a gift
  5. suit — in cards
  6. content — the amount
  7. net — for catching
  8. roll — a list
  9. net — after costs
  10. rash — a series
  11. spell — magic
  12. present — there
  13. rash — hasty
  14. present — the time now
  15. suit — to fit
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. spell — a short time
  19. net — in sport
  20. suit — clothes
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rash — on the skin

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