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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: track · court · shower · can · sharp · hide · content · net

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. can — a tin
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. net — after costs
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. content — the amount
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. court — for sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. shower — rain
  15. content — happy
  16. track — a song
  17. net — in sport
  18. sharp — clever
  19. court — of law
  20. can — to be able to
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. net — for catching
  24. shower — to wash

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