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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: march · current · vault · arm · content · hand · roll · ground

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. current — of water
  9. hand — help
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. roll — a list
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. ground — a position
  15. march — music
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — crushed
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. ground — the earth
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. vault — a safe
  24. march — the month

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