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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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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: craft · court · cue · straw · board · season

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. season — of the year
  3. cue — a signal
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. cue — for pool
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. board — a committee
  12. cue — a hint
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. season — in sport
  17. board — to get on
  18. court — of a king

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