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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: mine · craft · ball · stock · court · last · press · board

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. court — for sport
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. stock — goods
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. board — to get on
  10. stock — shares
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. craft — a skill
  13. last — finally
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. press — newspapers
  17. last — final
  18. press — to push
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. last — to go on
  22. board — a committee
  23. ball — a dance
  24. press — a publisher

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