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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 120 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: court · rest · foot · mark · pound · bound · rush · sharp

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rest — a break
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bound — certain
  7. court — for sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. court — of law
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mark — a grade
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. court — of a king
  23. foot — a measure
  24. rush — to hurry

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