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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
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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: row · sharp · content · scale · mug · field · bound · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. mug — a face
  3. row — to paddle
  4. roll — a cake
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. roll — a list
  10. row — a line
  11. content — happy
  12. sharp — clever
  13. field — for sport
  14. bound — tied together
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mug — a cup
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. content — the amount
  23. bound — certain
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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