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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: vault · rush · wind · content · racket · bark · ball · toast

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. content — happy
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wind — moving air
  19. content — the amount
  20. rush — hurry
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. ball — a great time

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