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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
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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: scale · season · rush · fine · nail · hand · content · fan

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. season — of the year
  3. hand — help
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fine — all right
  9. season — in sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rush — hurry
  19. content — the amount
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. scale — size or range
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. scale — in music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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