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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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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: wound · vault · land · racket · bowl · perch · ground · present

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. vault — a safe
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wound — an injury
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. ground — the earth
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. present — there
  17. land — to come down
  18. present — the time now
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. present — a gift
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. land — a country
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — ground

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