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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
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: hand · pop · rest · bat · scale · content · trunk · toast

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rest — a break
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. content — the amount
  6. scale — in music
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pop — to visit
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. hand — help
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rest — what's left
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. content — happy
  24. pop — 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