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

Word bank: perch · wake · vault · chest · rest · content · jam · ground

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. perch — the fish
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ground — a position
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. ground — the earth
  13. content — the amount
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wake — a trail
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. content — happy
  23. vault — a safe
  24. jam — in traffic

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