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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: club · shower · cap · content · racket · squash · fork · chip

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chip — for betting
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cap — of ice
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. shower — to wash
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. shower — rain
  12. club — a group
  13. content — the amount
  14. club — for golf
  15. cap — a hat
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chip — to eat
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fork — in a road
  22. content — happy
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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