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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: pound · stock · chair · patient · ground · jam · court · rest

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. ground — a position
  3. rest — a break
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. rest — what's left
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stock — goods
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. court — of law
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. court — for sport
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. court — of a king
  21. stock — shares
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ground — the earth

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