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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. current — of water
  4. court — of law
  5. shower — rain
  6. content — the amount
  7. court — of a king
  8. current — electric
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. court — for sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wake — a trail
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. current — happening now

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