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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: bass · charge · roll · cell · content · ruler · rush · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. cell — in biology
  3. content — happy
  4. roll — a cake
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pop — music
  7. rush — hurry
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. charge — a price
  17. roll — a list
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. charge — in control
  21. pop — soda
  22. bass — low music
  23. content — the amount
  24. ruler — for measuring

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