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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: rash · vault · hand · stand · drill · spell · pitch · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. content — happy
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stand — to bear
  6. hand — in cards
  7. spell — magic
  8. rash — a series
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. drill — the tool
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. spell — a short time
  14. hand — help
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. spell — letters
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. rash — hasty
  22. vault — a safe
  23. drill — army training
  24. stand — for spectators

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