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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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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: fork · pound · mate · field · pass · content · pit · vault

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mate — a friend
  11. content — happy
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fork — in a road
  15. content — the amount
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pit — in a race
  19. field — farmland
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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