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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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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: suit · capital · ground · scale · court · pound · mug · straw

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. capital — money
  3. court — of a king
  4. mug — a cup
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. court — for sport
  7. suit — in cards
  8. ground — crushed
  9. capital — a city
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. ground — a position
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. suit — to fit
  14. mug — a face
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mug — to rob
  17. ground — the earth
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. court — of law
  22. suit — clothes
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pound — to hit hard

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