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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. last — final
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. net — in sport
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. content — the amount
  9. wind — moving air
  10. content — happy
  11. net — after costs
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. last — finally
  14. cold — an illness
  15. net — for catching
  16. cold — not warm
  17. last — to go on
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — in cards
  20. suit — to fit
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. scale — in music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. safe — out of danger

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