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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: hand · rock · deal · present · vault · ground · club · lie

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. lie — to recline
  5. club — for golf
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. present — there
  8. rock — music
  9. club — a group
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. ground — crushed
  15. hand — in cards
  16. present — a gift
  17. hand — help
  18. ground — the earth
  19. club — for dancing
  20. deal — to handle
  21. present — the time now
  22. ground — a position
  23. rock — a stone
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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