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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · file · club · foot · leaves · craft · court · clip

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. file — a line of people
  3. court — for sport
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. club — a group
  7. clip — to cut
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. club — for golf
  10. court — of a king
  11. craft — a skill
  12. field — a subject
  13. file — a document
  14. clip — for paper
  15. foot — a measure
  16. field — farmland
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. file — a tool
  19. field — for sport
  20. club — for dancing
  21. clip — a video
  22. court — of law
  23. craft — boats
  24. foot — part of the body

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