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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: last · wound · wave · vault · pitcher · cap · ball · content

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wound — an injury
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cap — a lid
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. vault — a safe
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. last — finally
  16. ball — a dance
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. content — happy
  19. last — final
  20. last — to go on
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. content — the amount
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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