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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 116 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: object · court · cabinet · game · field · kid · staff · craft

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. staff — a stick
  3. field — a subject
  4. staff — employees
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. court — of a king
  7. field — for sport
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. court — of law
  11. object — to protest
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — farmland
  14. object — an aim
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. object — a thing
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. craft — a skill
  21. game — wild animals
  22. craft — boats
  23. staff — employees
  24. game — a match

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