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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 116 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: cabinet · band · last · rock · dip · firm · pound · court

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. court — of a king
  3. last — final
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. firm — a company
  8. last — to go on
  9. band — a music group
  10. court — of law
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. firm — steady
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. band — a ring
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. court — for sport
  23. last — finally
  24. firm — decided

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