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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. court — of a king
  3. rest — what's left
  4. present — the time now
  5. can — a tin
  6. board — a committee
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. court — of law
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. can — a tin
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. rest — what's left
  14. present — there
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. court — for sport
  18. last — final
  19. present — a gift
  20. can — to be able to
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rest — a break
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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