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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 · vault · ground · clip · rush · roll · band · toast

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. roll — a cake
  3. content — the amount
  4. ground — a position
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. clip — for paper
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ground — the earth
  11. clip — a video
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. ground — crushed
  15. clip — to cut
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. roll — a list
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. content — happy
  21. rush — hurry
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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