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

Word bank: rush · band · capital · net · jam · pop · bay · ground

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. net — for catching
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ground — crushed
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. capital — money
  8. pop — music
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pop — to visit
  12. net — in sport
  13. band — a ring
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. net — after costs
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rush — hurry
  20. capital — a city
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. band — a music group
  24. pop — soda

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