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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. scale — size or range
  4. content — happy
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. kid — to tease
  8. shower — rain
  9. kid — child
  10. pass — a permit
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. roll — a list
  13. chair — a leader
  14. content — the amount
  15. dip — to sink
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. roll — a cake
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chair — to sit on

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