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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 120 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 · court · track · tear · straw · coach · current · plane

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. court — of a king
  9. track — a path
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. track — a song
  12. tear — from crying
  13. current — happening now
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. track — to keep track
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. current — of water
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. court — of law
  20. plane — a tool
  21. tear — from crying
  22. current — electric
  23. court — for sport
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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