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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 116 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: deal · ground · last · nail · game · vault

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. game — wild animals
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ground — a position
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. ground — crushed
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. deal — to handle
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. ground — the earth
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. game — a match
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. last — final
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. last — to go on

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