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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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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: pound · ruler · stand · cabinet · content · hide · game · can

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. game — wild animals
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. content — the amount
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. stand — to bear
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pound — a weight
  18. can — to be able to
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. can — a tin
  22. game — a match
  23. can — a tin
  24. ruler — a monarch

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