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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. last — final
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bass — low music
  11. present — a gift
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bass — the fish
  14. last — finally
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. content — happy
  17. mark — a grade
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. last — to go on
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. net — for catching
  22. present — there
  23. vault — a safe
  24. present — the time now

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