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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: craft · court · bat · pit · leaves · cue · racket · field

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cue — a hint
  8. craft — boats
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. court — of law
  11. cue — a signal
  12. court — of a king
  13. pit — in a race
  14. cue — for pool
  15. field — for sport
  16. bat — the animal
  17. court — for sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pit — a hole
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. craft — a handicraft

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