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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: date · toast · spell · content · kid · staff · scale · saw

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. content — the amount
  3. scale — size or range
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. scale — in music
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. kid — to tease
  8. date — the fruit
  9. content — happy
  10. staff — employees
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kid — child
  14. spell — letters
  15. staff — a stick
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. saw — the tool
  20. toast — bread
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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