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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.

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: scale · content · saw · bowl · lash · racket · last · bat

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. content — happy
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. last — finally
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. last — final
  14. scale — in music
  15. bat — the animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. last — to go on
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. content — the amount
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. scale — for weighing

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