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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: spell · net · content · lie · arm · patient · scale · race

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. content — the amount
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. content — happy
  5. spell — magic
  6. scale — in music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. lie — to recline
  15. race — humankind
  16. spell — letters
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. spell — a short time
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. net — after costs

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