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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 120 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: mug · march · rock · content · pitch · bear · firm · band

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. content — happy
  3. band — a music group
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rock — music
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. band — a ring
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mug — a face
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. content — the amount
  17. firm — steady
  18. mug — to rob
  19. firm — decided
  20. pitch — completely
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. rock — a stone
  24. march — the month

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