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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: scale · fine · band · ruler · straw · coach · game · content

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. game — wild animals
  5. band — a music group
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fine — high quality
  15. game — a match
  16. content — the amount
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. band — a ring
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. scale — size or range
  23. content — happy
  24. game — a kind of play

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