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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: pound · fork · cap · rock · field · staff · content · ball

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rock — a stone
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. staff — employees
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. content — happy
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. fork — in a road
  15. field — farmland
  16. staff — a stick
  17. field — for sport
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. field — a subject
  21. content — the amount
  22. ball — a dance
  23. rock — music
  24. pound — to hit hard

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