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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: arm · pound · chair · court · prune · march · racket · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. court — of a king
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pound — a weight
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. court — for sport
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. court — of law
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. can — a tin
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. can — a tin
  18. march — music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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