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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 · pound · last · dip · fan · mine · ball · vault

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. ground — a position
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ground — the earth
  7. last — to go on
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mine — for digging
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. ball — a dance
  14. last — finally
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pound — a weight
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — final
  21. dip — to sink
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pound — to hit hard

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