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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 120 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
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: net · tube · racket · present · scale · spell · arm · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. spell — letters
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tube — a container
  8. present — a gift
  9. net — in sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spell — magic
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. scale — in music
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. present — there
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. tube — the underground
  19. scale — size or range
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. content — the amount
  22. net — after costs
  23. present — the time now
  24. net — for catching

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