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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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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: land · lash · date · stick · content · swing · mouse · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. land — a country
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. scale — size or range
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. land — ground
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. swing — music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. land — to come down
  17. swing — in golf
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. date — the fruit

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