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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 116 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. plane — a tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. scale — in music
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pound — a weight
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. mine — for digging
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. sharp — clever
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. last — final
  24. sharp — exactly

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