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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: court · field · mate · club · bore · perch · land · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. land — ground
  4. mate — to breed
  5. land — to come down
  6. club — for dancing
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mate — a friend
  11. court — of a king
  12. field — farmland
  13. mate — a partner
  14. craft — boats
  15. land — a country
  16. court — of law
  17. club — a group
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. court — for sport
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bore — to drill
  24. club — for golf

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