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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: bowl · wave · field · vault · bay · row · toast · content

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. row — a line
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. field — a subject
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. toast — bread
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. field — for sport
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. content — happy
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. field — farmland
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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