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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: scale · rock · racket · cold · mouse · content

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. content — happy
  3. rock — music
  4. cold — an illness
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rock — a stone
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. content — the amount

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