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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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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: stick · march · prune · court · pound · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. court — for sport
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. court — of a king
  6. prune — to trim
  7. march — the month
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. march — the month
  14. race — a contest
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. march — music
  17. court — of law
  18. prune — to trim

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