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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 120 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: spell · last · ground · drill · can · vault · row · chip

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. spell — magic
  3. vault — a safe
  4. last — final
  5. can — a tin
  6. last — finally
  7. ground — crushed
  8. row — a line
  9. spell — a short time
  10. ground — the earth
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. drill — a practice
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. last — to go on
  17. spell — letters
  18. ground — a position
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chip — for betting
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. chip — to eat
  24. drill — the tool

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