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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 120 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: bay · wax · pound · season · court · content · bat · ground

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pound — a weight
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. court — of a king
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. content — happy
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. court — of law
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. season — of the year
  18. bat — the animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. content — the amount
  21. ground — a position
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. ground — crushed

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