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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. last — to go on
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pound — a weight
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pop — soda
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pop — music
  22. field — farmland
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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