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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 · can · bass

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

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. can — a tin
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bass — low music
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. can — a tin
  7. content — happy
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. scale — in music
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bass — the fish
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rock — music
  17. content — the amount
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rock — a stone
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bass — the instrument

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