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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: scale · rule · field · content · sharp · tear · pop · pass

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. rule — a law
  6. pop — soda
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pass — a permit
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. tear — to rip
  11. content — the amount
  12. pop — music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. field — a subject
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — government
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. content — happy
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. scale — in music
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. tear — from crying

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