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

Word bank: content · court · rule · mark · shower · ruler · stick · mouse

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rule — a law
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rule — government
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mark — a grade
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. content — happy
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. content — the amount
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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