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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: dip · root · capital · ground · mate · file · vault · deal

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. vault — a safe
  3. file — a document
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. root — the cause
  6. deal — to handle
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. root — of a plant
  12. capital — money
  13. file — a tool
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. root — of a word
  16. mate — a partner
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. dip — to sink
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. file — a line of people
  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