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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
468
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: march · safe · last · craft · court · cue · press · field

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. craft — boats
  4. field — for sport
  5. last — finally
  6. march — music
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — of a king
  9. press — newspapers
  10. court — of law
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cue — a hint
  13. press — a publisher
  14. craft — a skill
  15. press — to push
  16. field — farmland
  17. march — the month
  18. cue — a signal
  19. last — final
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. march — the month
  22. cue — for pool
  23. last — to go on
  24. field — a subject

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