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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: court · ruler · rest · scale · content · mark · stand · lean

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rest — a break
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rest — what's left
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lean — thin
  10. mark — a grade
  11. court — of a king
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. content — the amount
  17. court — of law
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lean — to bend
  21. scale — in music
  22. court — for sport
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mark — a trace

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