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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: jam · present · pitch · bass · mate · shower · lean · content

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. mate — a friend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pitch — completely
  7. present — the time now
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. lean — to bend
  11. content — happy
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mate — to breed
  16. content — the amount
  17. lean — thin
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. shower — rain
  21. present — there
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. present — a gift

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