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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. content — the amount
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wind — moving air
  8. board — a committee
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wind — moving air
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. kick — in football
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. board — to get on
  23. content — happy
  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