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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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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: prune · bark · pass · game · court · cap · pound · track

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. bark — to shout
  6. track — a song
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pass — a permit
  9. game — wild animals
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. court — of a king
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. court — for sport
  20. track — a path
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cap — a hat

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