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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: content · pitcher · deal · fork · band · cap · staff · hide

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. content — the amount
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. band — a music group
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. staff — employees
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cap — a hat
  16. staff — employees
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. deal — to handle
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. fork — in a road
  23. content — happy
  24. cap — a lid

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