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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
468
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: tube · content · pound · fine · pitcher · vault · rest · hand

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rest — a break
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. hand — help
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. tube — the underground
  13. content — happy
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. tube — a container
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pound — a weight
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. vault — a safe
  23. content — the amount
  24. rest — what's left

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