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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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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: foot · rest · trunk · pound · track · stick · content · court

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. content — the amount
  2. court — of law
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rest — what's left
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. court — of a king
  8. rest — what's left
  9. court — for sport
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. track — a path
  15. pound — a weight
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. content — happy
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — a measure
  23. rest — a break
  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