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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 · date · rush · shower · firm · drill · court · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. shower — to wash
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. content — happy
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. court — for sport
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. content — the amount
  10. court — of a king
  11. firm — decided
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. court — of law
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. drill — the tool
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — a company
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. shower — rain
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. date — the fruit
  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