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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: bowl · court · date · lash · content · roll · saw · scale

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. content — happy
  5. court — for sport
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. content — the amount
  10. court — of law
  11. roll — a cake
  12. court — of a king
  13. saw — the tool
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. scale — in music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. date — the fruit
  21. roll — a list
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. scale — size or range

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