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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: firm · charge · content · fan · board · season · court · shower

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. shower — rain
  3. board — a committee
  4. charge — electricity
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. season — of the year
  7. content — the amount
  8. charge — a price
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. content — happy
  11. court — of a king
  12. board — to get on
  13. firm — steady
  14. court — of law
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. court — for sport
  21. season — in sport
  22. charge — in control
  23. firm — a company
  24. board — a flat piece

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