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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: firm · wake · content · net · pitch · season · date · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. band — a ring
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. content — the amount
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. net — in sport
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. firm — decided
  12. season — of the year
  13. firm — a company
  14. date — the fruit
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitch — completely
  17. band — a music group
  18. content — happy
  19. season — in sport
  20. firm — steady
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wake — a trail
  24. net — after costs

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