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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: court · date · kid · craft · board · cabinet · mug · file

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. craft — boats
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. court — of a king
  7. file — a line of people
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. board — a committee
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. file — a tool
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kid — child
  18. court — for sport
  19. board — to get on
  20. kid — to tease
  21. craft — a skill
  22. file — a document
  23. court — of law
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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