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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 · nail · mug · court · stock · squash · bay · kid

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. stock — goods
  7. court — of a king
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. kid — child
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mug — a face
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. court — of law
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. court — for sport
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stock — shares
  24. squash — to crush

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