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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.

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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 · straw · rest · field · suit · craft · ball · drill

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rest — what's left
  3. court — of a king
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rest — what's left
  6. court — for sport
  7. drill — the tool
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. ball — a great time
  13. suit — in cards
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. craft — boats
  16. drill — army training
  17. craft — a skill
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — to fit
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. field — farmland
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rest — a break

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