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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: pound · net · scale · temple · bear · content · court · present

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. content — the amount
  3. net — after costs
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. court — of a king
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bear — the animal
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. present — a gift
  15. content — happy
  16. court — for sport
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. present — there
  19. scale — in music
  20. net — in sport
  21. court — of law
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. present — the time now
  24. net — for catching

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