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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — electric
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. track — a path
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. current — of water
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. current — happening now
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. content — happy
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. content — the amount
  24. scale — in music

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