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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. chair — a leader
  4. ground — the earth
  5. band — a music group
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. key — in music
  10. ground — a position
  11. land — to come down
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. land — a country
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. land — ground
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. band — a ring
  24. key — for a lock

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