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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: board · sharp · spring · can · fan · court · squash · craft

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. can — a tin
  3. board — to get on
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spring — the season
  6. can — a tin
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. court — of a king
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. squash — to crush
  12. sharp — clever
  13. craft — boats
  14. squash — the sport
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. can — to be able to
  18. craft — a skill
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. board — a committee

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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