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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · kick · content · racket · scale · mine · ground · pound

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pound — a weight
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. kick — in football
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. content — the amount
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. scale — in music
  18. spell — magic
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mine — for digging
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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