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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · cabinet · lash · bowl · craft · coach · current · field

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. current — electric
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. field — farmland
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. current — of water
  13. craft — boats
  14. court — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. court — of law
  23. field — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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