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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: tear · court · season · craft · march · racket

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. season — in sport
  3. march — the month
  4. court — for sport
  5. tear — to rip
  6. season — of the year
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. court — of a king
  9. tear — from crying
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. court — of law
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. craft — a skill
  18. racket — for tennis

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