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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. fall — the season
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bass — low music
  5. vault — a safe
  6. band — a ring
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. band — a music group
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. march — music
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. march — the month
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. content — the amount
  20. pitch — completely
  21. march — the month
  22. content — happy
  23. fall — to drop
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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