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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pound — a weight
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. stock — goods
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. hand — in cards
  12. swing — music
  13. stock — shares
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. stand — to bear
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. court — of law
  20. degree — an amount
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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