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

Word bank: content · shower · court · ball · race · bay

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. race — a contest
  5. content — the amount
  6. shower — rain
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. race — the arms race
  11. court — for sport
  12. content — happy
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ball — a great time
  17. race — humankind
  18. court — of a king

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