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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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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: court · wax · pound · roll · content · safe · bat · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. content — the amount
  8. roll — a list
  9. court — for sport
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. roll — a cake
  13. court — of law
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wax — to grow
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. court — of a king
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bat — for baseball

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