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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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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: cell · board · date · band · net · court · pit · craft

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. court — of a king
  4. board — a committee
  5. net — in sport
  6. pit — in a race
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. board — to get on
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. date — the fruit
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pit — a hole
  17. net — after costs
  18. cell — in biology
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. band — a ring
  21. net — for catching
  22. cell — a phone
  23. craft — boats
  24. band — a music group

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