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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: content · bass · stand · face · kick · root · jam · court

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. stand — to bear
  3. court — of a king
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. content — happy
  9. root — the cause
  10. bass — low music
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. content — the amount
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. court — for sport
  20. root — of a word
  21. face — to confront
  22. court — of law
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. content — videos and posts

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