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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: straw · court · swing · bank · content · pass · pound · chip

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. court — for sport
  3. pass — a permit
  4. chip — for betting
  5. content — the amount
  6. bank — for money
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. court — of a king
  10. content — happy
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. court — of law
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bank — of a river
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bank — for money
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. chip — to eat
  24. swing — music

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