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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 · lie · bat · nail · shower · present · firm · court

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. present — there
  5. firm — a company
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. present — the time now
  11. firm — steady
  12. content — the amount
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. present — a gift
  16. lie — to recline
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. firm — decided
  21. shower — rain
  22. court — for sport
  23. shower — to wash
  24. nail — for a hammer

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