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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: fine · pound · drill · last · perch · ground · vault · sharp

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. drill — army training
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. last — finally
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. last — final
  9. ground — a position
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. ground — crushed
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ground — the earth
  15. vault — a safe
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. last — to go on
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fine — high quality
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fine — all right
  23. perch — the fish
  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