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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: cell · kid · stand · content · mark · pound · bowl · ball

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stand — to bear
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. cell — a phone
  13. kid — child
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. content — the amount
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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