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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: bay · game · kick · pitcher · stand · court · pound · fine

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. court — of a king
  4. game — a match
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. court — for sport
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — in football
  20. court — of law
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pitcher — a jug

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