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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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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: lean · fan · pound · vault · kick · ground · temple · present

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ground — crushed
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pound — a weight
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. lean — thin
  12. present — there
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. ground — a position
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. ground — the earth
  21. vault — a safe
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  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