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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 120 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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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: pound · mark · bowl · stand · court · wake · last · straw

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. last — finally
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mark — a grade
  6. court — of a king
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. last — final
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. last — to go on
  11. mark — a trace
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pound — a weight
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stand — to bear
  24. mark — to pay attention

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