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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: vault · mine · band · key · wake · ruler · chair · present

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. key — the most important part
  3. present — a gift
  4. key — in music
  5. present — the time now
  6. chair — a leader
  7. present — there
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. band — a ring
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mine — for digging
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wake — a trail
  24. ruler — a monarch

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