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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: face · band · club · content · foot · court · rock · ground

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. face — to confront
  3. ground — crushed
  4. court — for sport
  5. band — a music group
  6. court — of a king
  7. rock — music
  8. ground — the earth
  9. rock — a stone
  10. club — for golf
  11. ground — a position
  12. foot — a measure
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. face — to point toward
  16. club — a group
  17. court — of law
  18. content — happy
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. club — for dancing
  24. content — the amount

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