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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: swing · stand · jam · scale · content · ground · game · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. ground — crushed
  9. scale — size or range
  10. swing — in golf
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. swing — music
  13. content — happy
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. scale — in music
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. game — a match
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. ground — a position
  22. content — the amount
  23. game — wild animals
  24. ground — the earth

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