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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. court — of law
  4. root — of a word
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. vault — a safe
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. court — of a king
  13. land — ground
  14. saw — the tool
  15. root — the cause
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. track — a song
  19. saw — the tool
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. court — for sport
  24. root — of a plant

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