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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.

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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: pound · fall · deal · lean · cabinet · game · vault · land

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pound — a weight
  7. lean — to bend
  8. game — wild animals
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. land — to come down
  16. game — a match
  17. land — a country
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lean — thin
  20. land — ground
  21. fall — the season
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lean — to rest against

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