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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: stand · mouse · sharp · land · racket · court · firm · content

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. firm — decided
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. court — of a king
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. content — happy
  13. firm — a company
  14. sharp — clever
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. land — ground
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stand — to bear
  23. firm — steady
  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