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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: swing · vault · bat · land · pitcher · content · safe · fork

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. land — to come down
  4. swing — music
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. content — the amount
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. swing — to play on
  21. content — happy
  22. bat — the animal
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. land — a country

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