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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 116 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: last · bulb · content · racket · track · vault · march · squash

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. march — the month
  3. squash — the sport
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. last — finally
  8. bulb — for light
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. march — music
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. squash — to crush
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. march — the month
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. racket — for tennis

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