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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: foot · cold · rush · arm · vault · content · bulb · suit

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. bulb — for light
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cold — an illness
  6. foot — a measure
  7. suit — clothes
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. suit — to fit
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. vault — a safe
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bulb — for light
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. suit — in cards
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. arm — part of the body

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