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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: can · kick · court · rash · stock · fan · stand · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rash — a series
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rash — hasty
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. court — of a king
  10. stock — goods
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stock — shares
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pound — a weight
  15. can — a tin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. court — for sport
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. court — of law
  24. stand — on your feet

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