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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. swing — in golf
  5. court — of a king
  6. craft — a skill
  7. dip — to sink
  8. content — happy
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. court — for sport
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bass — low music
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. swing — to play on
  17. content — the amount
  18. craft — boats
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. swing — music
  21. court — of law
  22. bass — the fish
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. dip — to dunk

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