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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 120 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: trunk · ruler · content · scale · game · pop · bat · pass

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. pop — music
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. content — happy
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pass — a permit
  19. scale — in music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. game — a match
  23. pop — soda
  24. ruler — for measuring

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