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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: vault · roll · rock · pitch · wake · toast · cold · content

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. content — the amount
  6. toast — bread
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cold — an illness
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rock — a stone
  18. content — happy
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. vault — a safe
  23. pitch — completely
  24. rock — music

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