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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: mine · net · content · rock · scale · firm · toast · pop

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. content — happy
  3. net — after costs
  4. pop — music
  5. net — for catching
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pop — to visit
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. net — in sport
  10. rock — music
  11. firm — a company
  12. mine — for digging
  13. scale — size or range
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. scale — in music
  19. content — the amount
  20. pop — soda
  21. toast — bread
  22. firm — steady
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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