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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: squash · stock · court · trunk · suit · mug · shower · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mug — a cup
  3. suit — in cards
  4. shower — rain
  5. suit — clothes
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. suit — to fit
  13. stock — shares
  14. mug — a face
  15. squash — to crush
  16. shower — to wash
  17. court — for sport
  18. squash — the sport
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. content — happy
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mug — to rob
  24. content — videos and posts

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