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

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. key — the most important part
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. ground — crushed
  6. band — a ring
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. ground — the earth
  10. band — a music group
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stem — to come from
  14. charge — a price
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. charge — in control
  18. key — in music
  19. ground — a position
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. file — a tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. field — farmland
  24. charge — electricity

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