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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: key · land · pop · dip · vault · pound · snap · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — a safe
  4. land — a country
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. key — the most important part
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. land — ground
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. land — to come down
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. snap — to click
  17. pop — soda
  18. key — in music
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pop — music
  21. dip — to sink
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pound — a weight

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