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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 116 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 ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bound — certain
  5. court — of a king
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. content — happy
  8. firm — decided
  9. content — the amount
  10. ground — crushed
  11. court — for sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bound — tied together
  18. firm — a company
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. firm — steady
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. court — of law
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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