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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: rock · content · pass · mouse · branch · cold · pit · vault

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pass — a permit
  5. rock — music
  6. vault — a safe
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pit — in a race
  11. content — the amount
  12. cold — an illness
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. branch — a division
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pass — to spend time

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