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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · bass · tube · vault · track · chair · squash · season

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. track — to keep track
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. track — a song
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. track — a path
  11. season — of the year
  12. bass — low music
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. content — the amount
  16. season — in sport
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bass — the fish
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chair — a leader

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