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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. scale — in music
  4. mate — to breed
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. hand — help
  7. mate — a friend
  8. tube — a container
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. content — the amount
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. season — of the year
  16. mate — a partner
  17. season — in sport
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wind — moving air
  21. tube — the underground
  22. content — happy
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wind — to turn a key

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