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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: content · jam · last · board · vault · spring · racket · fan

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. spring — the season
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. last — to go on
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. content — the amount
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. spring — a coil
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. vault — a safe
  12. last — finally
  13. board — to get on
  14. content — happy
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. board — a committee
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — of water
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. content — videos and posts

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