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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: safe · court · content · dip · shower · date · last · pound

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. last — finally
  4. court — of a king
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. content — happy
  7. last — final
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pound — a weight
  10. court — for sport
  11. shower — rain
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. date — the fruit
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. court — of law
  18. last — to go on
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. shower — to wash
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. dip — to dunk

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