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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: cold · content · foot · suit · fine · vault · game · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. band — a music group
  9. suit — to fit
  10. content — happy
  11. cold — an illness
  12. suit — in cards
  13. content — the amount
  14. suit — clothes
  15. foot — a measure
  16. cold — not warm
  17. fine — all right
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. vault — a safe
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. fine — high quality
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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