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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 116 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 · land · firm · tube · cap · face · ground · charge

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. land — a country
  4. tube — the underground
  5. land — to come down
  6. firm — a company
  7. charge — a price
  8. firm — decided
  9. face — to point toward
  10. land — ground
  11. ground — a position
  12. tube — a container
  13. charge — electricity
  14. face — to confront
  15. firm — steady
  16. cap — a hat
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. ground — crushed
  22. face — part of the head
  23. charge — in control
  24. ground — the earth

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