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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: net · court · content · stem · arm · cabinet · pound · degree

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. pound — a weight
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. net — for catching
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. net — after costs
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. court — for sport
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — in sport
  18. content — happy
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stem — to come from
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. content — the amount

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