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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: field · rock · craft · face · chair · pop · court · march

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. field — farmland
  3. craft — boats
  4. pop — soda
  5. rock — a stone
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. court — of a king
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rock — music
  13. march — the month
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. field — a subject
  16. face — part of the head
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pop — music
  19. face — to confront
  20. court — of law
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pop — to visit
  23. field — for sport
  24. court — for sport

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