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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: stand · court · craft · racket · saw · wound · rest · kid

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stand — to bear
  7. kid — to tease
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wound — an injury
  10. court — of a king
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kid — child
  14. court — of law
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. court — for sport
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — boats
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rest — a break
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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