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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: ruler · trunk · scale · staff · mouse · content · race · fine

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. content — the amount
  9. race — a contest
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. scale — in music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. staff — employees
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. scale — size or range
  22. race — the arms race
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. race — humankind

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