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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: mine · vault · fine · straw · kid · ruler · object · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. kid — child
  3. object — a thing
  4. content — happy
  5. fine — all right
  6. object — to protest
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mine — for digging
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fine — high quality
  15. vault — a safe
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. object — an aim
  23. kid — to tease
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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