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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: can · bass · court · hand · pound · cap · press · kid

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. court — of law
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. kid — child
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cap — a hat
  13. can — a tin
  14. court — for sport
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bass — low music
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cap — of ice
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. press — to push

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