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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: vault · hand · mine · root · game · charge · mark · pitcher

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. charge — a price
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. root — of a word
  6. hand — help
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. charge — in control
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mine — for digging
  21. charge — electricity
  22. vault — a safe
  23. root — the cause
  24. pitcher — a jug

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