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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: content · bass · band · pit · court · bulb · mark · stand

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. content — the amount
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pit — in a race
  8. court — for sport
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. band — a ring
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. court — of a king
  17. content — happy
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pit — a hole
  22. court — of law
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bulb — for light

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