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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: object · fork · court · stand · mouse · bass · pound · content

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. object — an aim
  3. bass — low music
  4. content — happy
  5. object — a thing
  6. content — the amount
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. court — for sport
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. object — to protest
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pound — a weight

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