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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: board · season · band · court · date · sharp · vault · racket

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. season — in sport
  3. court — for sport
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. band — a ring
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. season — of the year
  9. band — a music group
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. vault — a safe
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. court — of law
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. board — to get on
  17. sharp — clever
  18. court — of a king
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. date — the fruit

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