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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · prune · capital · bay · jam · date · drill · roll

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. roll — a cake
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. prune — to trim
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. content — the amount
  9. date — the fruit
  10. capital — a city
  11. drill — the tool
  12. roll — a list
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. prune — to trim
  19. content — happy
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. drill — army training
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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