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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: chest · content · present · wound · net · bay · scale · firm

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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 — for weighing
  2. present — there
  3. scale — in music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. firm — a company
  7. wound — an injury
  8. firm — decided
  9. present — a gift
  10. content — the amount
  11. net — for catching
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. net — in sport
  18. present — the time now
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. wound — an injury
  23. firm — steady
  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