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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: march · band · racket · cue · jam · wake · vault · content

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. band — a ring
  4. cue — a signal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. march — the month
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wake — a trail
  18. content — happy
  19. band — a music group
  20. content — the amount
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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