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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lie · calf · ground · hand · mine · vault · field · game

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. ground — a position
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. field — farmland
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. field — a subject
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hand — help
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lie — to recline
  21. field — for sport
  22. vault — a safe
  23. hand — in cards
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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