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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: bass · mine · rule · sharp · court · foot · pound · lean

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bass — low music
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. mine — for digging
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rule — a law
  11. court — for sport
  12. lean — thin
  13. court — of law
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. court — of a king
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. lean — to bend

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