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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
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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: cold · present · board · roll · court · suit · land · craft

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. court — of law
  3. present — the time now
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. cold — not warm
  8. present — a gift
  9. suit — in cards
  10. board — to get on
  11. present — there
  12. board — a committee
  13. suit — clothes
  14. craft — boats
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. roll — a list
  18. land — ground
  19. cold — an illness
  20. land — a country
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. roll — a cake
  24. land — to come down

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