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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: drill · tear · game · court · foot · craft · fine · season

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. foot — a measure
  4. drill — the tool
  5. court — for sport
  6. season — in sport
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. craft — boats
  10. tear — from crying
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fine — high quality
  13. court — of a king
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. season — of the year
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. craft — a skill
  18. game — wild animals
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. court — of law
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. game — a match

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