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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: ground · vault · wind · ruler · safe · last

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. last — to go on
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. last — finally
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. ground — a position
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wind — moving air
  10. last — final
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ground — the earth
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. vault — a safe

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