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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
468
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: land · vault · stand · last · key · bark · bowl · sharp

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. land — to come down
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. land — a country
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. vault — a safe
  8. key — for a lock
  9. last — final
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. land — ground
  14. key — the most important part
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. last — to go on
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stand — to bear
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. key — in music
  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