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

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. band — a music group
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. content — happy
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pitch — completely
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. band — a ring
  11. content — the amount
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. swing — music
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bowl — to roll

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