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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: leaves · court · board · clip · rash · nail · craft · season

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. season — in sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. board — to get on
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rash — hasty
  14. court — for sport
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. clip — to cut
  20. season — of the year
  21. court — of law
  22. craft — boats
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. board — a committee

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