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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. last — finally
  3. plane — a tool
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mug — a face
  7. chest — of your body
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. scale — in music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. shower — rain
  18. mug — a cup
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. content — the amount
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rock — music
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rock — a stone

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