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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.

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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: ruler · content · scale · rest · ball · date · bear · chair

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. content — happy
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. ball — a great time
  8. chair — a leader
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rest — a break
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bear — the animal
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bear — the animal
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. content — the amount
  21. scale — size or range
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. rest — what's left

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