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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 120 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: ground · land · squash · stick · vault · kid · wound · swing

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. kid — child
  3. land — to come down
  4. ground — the earth
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ground — a position
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. ground — crushed
  10. vault — a safe
  11. land — a country
  12. wound — an injury
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. squash — to crush
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. land — ground
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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