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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. scale — in music
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. content — happy
  10. bat — the animal
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. foot — a measure
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. content — the amount
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. net — in sport
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. fork — to eat with

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