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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. content — happy
  4. stand — to bear
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pound — a weight
  9. board — a committee
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. court — of law
  13. can — a tin
  14. board — to get on
  15. can — a tin
  16. content — the amount
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. court — of a king
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. court — for sport
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. can — to be able to

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