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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · mate · field · kick · pop · roll · bowl · content

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. content — happy
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. mate — a partner
  6. kick — in football
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. field — a subject
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mate — a friend
  15. content — the amount
  16. mate — to breed
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. roll — a list
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. scale — in music

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