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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: vault · degree · net · racket · nail · firm · pound · ground

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. firm — steady
  5. ground — the earth
  6. firm — a company
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. ground — crushed
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pound — a weight
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. degree — an amount
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. firm — decided
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. degree — from a university
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. net — after costs
  23. ground — a position
  24. degree — temperature

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