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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: present · content · scale · last · sharp · mark · swing · arm

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. content — happy
  3. scale — in music
  4. content — the amount
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. present — the time now
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. mark — a trace
  9. swing — music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mark — a grade
  12. last — finally
  13. present — a gift
  14. last — final
  15. scale — size or range
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. swing — to play on
  20. present — there
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. swing — in golf

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