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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: roll · pound · content · kid · court · spell · bass · toast

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bass — low music
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. toast — bread
  9. court — for sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pound — a weight
  13. court — of a king
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. spell — magic
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. roll — a cake
  18. content — the amount
  19. kid — child
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. content — happy
  22. bass — the fish
  23. roll — a list
  24. spell — letters

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