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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: bat · scale · date · court · rest · band · ruler · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rest — what's left
  3. scale — in music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. court — of a king
  8. bat — the animal
  9. court — for sport
  10. scale — size or range
  11. band — a ring
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. band — a music group
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. court — of law
  21. rest — a break
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rest — what's left

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