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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 120 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 · club · swing · sharp · court · bat · craft · tube

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. craft — a handicraft
  2. court — of a king
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. craft — a skill
  5. swing — music
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. club — for golf
  8. board — to get on
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. court — of law
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. club — a group
  13. craft — boats
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bat — the animal
  16. court — for sport
  17. swing — to play on
  18. tube — a container
  19. club — for dancing
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. tube — the underground
  24. board — a committee

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