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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: straw · net · tube · sharp · ground · scale · content · firm

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. content — the amount
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. scale — size or range
  6. ground — crushed
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. firm — decided
  9. ground — the earth
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. sharp — clever
  12. firm — a company
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ground — a position
  16. net — in sport
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. firm — steady
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. content — happy
  23. scale — in music
  24. tube — a container

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