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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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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: sharp · pound · plane · dip · board · court · last · stand

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. court — of a king
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. court — of law
  5. board — to get on
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. last — to go on
  11. stand — to bear
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. plane — a tool
  17. last — final
  18. court — for sport
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. last — finally
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. dip — to sink
  24. board — a committee

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