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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: last · stand · pound · mark · bowl · date · court · dip

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. last — finally
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mark — a trace
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — to bear
  10. last — final
  11. court — for sport
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. dip — to sink
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mark — a grade
  22. last — to go on
  23. court — of a king
  24. dip — a sauce

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