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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: toast · roll · content · net · mine · bay · vault · last

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. last — to go on
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. last — final
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — bread
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. vault — a safe
  16. last — finally
  17. roll — a list
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. mine — for digging
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. roll — a cake

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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