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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. roll — a cake
  3. scale — size or range
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. content — happy
  7. spell — a short time
  8. craft — a skill
  9. last — to go on
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. last — final
  16. net — after costs
  17. craft — boats
  18. scale — in music
  19. last — finally
  20. lean — thin
  21. roll — a list
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. lean — to bend

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