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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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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: fan · mark · band · content · mate · cap · bat · vault

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. band — a ring
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cap — of ice
  9. vault — a safe
  10. band — a music group
  11. content — the amount
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. content — happy
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mark — a grade
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bat — the animal

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