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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: band · jam · bowl · content · swing · pitch

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. swing — music
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. pitch — completely
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. band — a music group
  14. content — happy
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bowl — a dish

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