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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: snap · content · band · rock · coach · vault · bay · pitcher

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. band — a ring
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rock — music
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rock — a stone
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. content — happy
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. content — the amount
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. band — a music group
  20. snap — to click
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. content — videos and posts

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