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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 · wind · court · craft · mine · shower · coach · ruler

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — rain
  3. mine — for digging
  4. content — happy
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. court — for sport
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wind — moving air
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. shower — to wash
  20. craft — a skill
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. content — the amount
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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