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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: ball · ground · vault · file · chest · nail · fall · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. chest — of your body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ground — a position
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. file — a tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ball — a great time
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. file — a document
  18. ball — a dance
  19. chest — a box
  20. fall — the season
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. chest — of your body

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