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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: root · craft · game · court · sharp · nail · straw · season

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. 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. root — the cause
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. season — in sport
  4. game — a match
  5. court — for sport
  6. craft — a skill
  7. season — of the year
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. court — of law
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. root — of a plant
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. game — wild animals
  14. craft — boats
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. root — of a word
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. sharp — clever
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. 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