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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: last · vault · fine · lie · mine · club · land · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. club — for golf
  4. pound — a weight
  5. vault — a safe
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. land — a country
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. club — a group
  10. fine — high quality
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. last — finally
  13. land — ground
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mine — for digging
  20. last — to go on
  21. fine — all right
  22. land — to come down
  23. last — final
  24. club — for dancing

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