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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: ground · mine · toast · pitcher · foot · vault · pop · object

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. object — an aim
  3. foot — a measure
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pop — music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mine — for digging
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — bread
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. object — to protest
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — to visit
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pop — soda
  23. object — a thing
  24. ground — a position

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