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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. band — a ring
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. firm — decided
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. content — happy
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. band — a music group
  11. content — the amount
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. firm — steady
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bass — low music
  21. firm — a company
  22. cap — of ice
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — the fish

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