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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: shower · jam · bound · squash · date · rock · court · straw

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bound — certain
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bound — obliged
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. shower — rain
  8. court — for sport
  9. squash — the sport
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. shower — to wash
  14. date — the fruit
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rock — a stone
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rock — music
  24. bound — tied together

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