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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: jam · band · bear · bass · can · court · row · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. court — of law
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bass — low music
  5. can — a tin
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. band — a ring
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bass — the fish
  12. court — for sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. band — a music group
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. can — to be able to
  17. court — of a king
  18. content — the amount
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bear — the animal
  24. row — a line

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