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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 · pop · row · fine · fan · vault · ground · craft

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. pop — to visit
  3. ground — a position
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. ground — crushed
  7. row — a line
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. content — the amount
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. vault — a safe
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. fine — high quality
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. ground — the earth
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. row — to paddle

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