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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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Word bank
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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 · rock · object · coach · date · shower · cold · can

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. date — the fruit
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. can — to be able to
  8. object — a thing
  9. can — a tin
  10. rock — music
  11. object — to protest
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. content — the amount
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cold — not warm
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cold — an illness
  19. content — happy
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. shower — rain
  23. object — an aim
  24. can — a tin

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