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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. net — for catching
  5. scale — in music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. board — to get on
  8. net — after costs
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. board — a committee
  15. sharp — clever
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. net — in sport
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. content — the amount
  21. scale — size or range
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wind — moving air
  24. content — happy

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