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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: court · file · squash · staff · racket · rest · cap · craft

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. file — a tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. rest — what's left
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. court — of law
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rest — a break
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. squash — to crush
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. craft — a skill
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. cap — a hat
  17. file — a line of people
  18. craft — boats
  19. staff — a stick
  20. file — a document
  21. court — for sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. rest — what's left
  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