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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: vault · pound · last · board · spell · land · current · degree

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. spell — a short time
  4. board — to get on
  5. spell — magic
  6. current — electric
  7. degree — an amount
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. last — final
  11. current — of water
  12. land — to come down
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. degree — temperature
  15. vault — a safe
  16. land — ground
  17. degree — from a university
  18. last — to go on
  19. spell — letters
  20. current — happening now
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. last — finally
  24. pound — a weight

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