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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: vault · root · straw · deal · racket · ground · last · chest

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. ground — the earth
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ground — a position
  6. deal — to handle
  7. root — of a plant
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. last — finally
  10. vault — a safe
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. root — the cause
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. last — final
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chest — of your body
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. last — to go on
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. root — of a word
  23. chest — a box
  24. ground — crushed

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