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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. content — happy
  4. stand — to bear
  5. court — of law
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bat — the animal
  8. shower — to wash
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. court — for sport
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. court — of a king
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. content — the amount
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. jam — in traffic

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