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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: kid · firm · toast · plane · last · mine · vault · wound

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. toast — bread
  4. wound — an injury
  5. firm — decided
  6. last — final
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kid — child
  11. firm — steady
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. firm — a company
  14. plane — a tool
  15. last — finally
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. kid — to tease
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. last — to go on
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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