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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. degree — from a university
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. charge — electricity
  8. drill — army training
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. key — the most important part
  14. charge — in control
  15. drill — the tool
  16. charge — a price
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. degree — an amount
  20. key — in music
  21. drill — a practice
  22. field — a subject
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pound — to hit hard

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