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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. content — happy
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. shower — rain
  5. court — of a king
  6. stock — goods
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. stock — shares
  10. current — electric
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. court — for sport
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. shower — to wash
  19. content — the amount
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. coach — a trainer

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