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

Word bank: root · pound · bass · march · snap · vault · ball · key

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pound — a weight
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bass — the fish
  5. march — the month
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. root — of a plant
  12. key — in music
  13. root — the cause
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bass — low music
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. snap — to click
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bass — the instrument

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