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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 · bass · hand · game · net · key · root · mine

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. game — a match
  3. net — for catching
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. root — of a plant
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hand — in cards
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bass — the fish
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. net — after costs
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. vault — a safe
  20. hand — help
  21. root — the cause
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bass — low music
  24. net — in sport

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