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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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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 · pit · land · mate · tear · ground · lean · board

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. mate — a partner
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mate — to breed
  8. lean — thin
  9. pit — in a race
  10. lean — to bend
  11. board — to get on
  12. ground — the earth
  13. land — to come down
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. tear — from crying
  18. land — a country
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. land — ground
  21. board — a committee
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. vault — a safe
  24. tear — from crying

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