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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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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: court · pound · kick · arm · scale · row · board · prune

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. board — to get on
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pound — a weight
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. scale — in music
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. board — a committee
  15. prune — to trim
  16. court — of law
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. court — for sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. scale — size or range
  22. kick — in football
  23. court — of a king
  24. row — a line

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