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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 116 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: chair · file · cap · content · pound · mouse · stand · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cap — a hat
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. chair — a leader
  15. file — a tool
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — happy
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. file — a document
  24. mouse — the animal

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