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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · saw · lash · scale · chair · content · racket · ball

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. chair — a leader
  9. content — the amount
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bear — the animal
  17. scale — size or range
  18. saw — the tool
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. scale — in music
  21. ball — a dance
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. ball — a great time

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