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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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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: bear · land · vault · last · pitch · tube · squash · deal

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. land — ground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. last — to go on
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pitch — completely
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. bear — the animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. tube — a container
  23. bear — the animal
  24. tube — the underground

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