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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: coach · content · jam · land · pitcher · suit · hand · band

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. content — the amount
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. band — a ring
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. suit — clothes
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. hand — help
  13. land — to come down
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. land — a country
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. band — a music group
  20. content — happy
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. land — ground
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. hand — in cards

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