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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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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: lie · vault · bear · mug · kid · squash · ground · land

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bear — the animal
  4. land — ground
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. land — a country
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bear — the animal
  13. vault — a safe
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mug — to rob
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mug — a cup
  23. land — to come down
  24. kid — child

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