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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · stick · straw · content · spring · court · board · shower

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. shower — to wash
  4. spring — a coil
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. board — to get on
  10. content — happy
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. court — of law
  15. shower — rain
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. spring — of water
  18. board — a committee
  19. spring — the season
  20. date — the fruit
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. content — the amount
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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