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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. scale — in music
  4. pound — a weight
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — of water
  7. content — the amount
  8. scale — size or range
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. last — to go on
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — finally
  16. capital — money
  17. spring — the season
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. capital — a city
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. last — final
  24. capital — a big letter

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