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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: perch · fine · vault · jam · content · mate · wound · dip

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. vault — a safe
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. content — happy
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. content — the amount
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. perch — the fish
  10. dip — to sink
  11. fine — all right
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wound — an injury
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wound — an injury
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. fine — high quality
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. mate — a partner
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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