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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: rock · content · bat · suit · ground · toast · vault · field

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. toast — bread
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. suit — to fit
  9. rock — music
  10. vault — a safe
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bat — the animal
  14. content — the amount
  15. field — farmland
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. suit — clothes
  18. content — happy
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. ground — the earth
  21. suit — in cards
  22. rock — a stone
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bat — for baseball

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