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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: ball · vault · club · pop · wake · foot · lean · last

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. last — final
  6. ball — a great time
  7. last — to go on
  8. club — a group
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pop — music
  11. vault — a safe
  12. lean — thin
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lean — to bend
  16. last — finally
  17. ball — a dance
  18. club — for golf
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pop — soda
  24. ball — a round shape

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