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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: net · degree · fan · content · vault · pass · land · march

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. net — for catching
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. net — after costs
  5. degree — temperature
  6. vault — a safe
  7. content — the amount
  8. march — the month
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. march — the month
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. degree — from a university
  13. content — happy
  14. march — music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. net — in sport
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pass — a permit
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — a country

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