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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. content — the amount
  4. pop — soda
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pop — music
  10. band — a ring
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pound — a weight
  17. content — happy
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. vault — a safe
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. band — a music group

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